Bleeding Hearts
by JasmineDragon22
Summary: Sixteen years ago Sakura's life changed in a way she never could have foreseen. Abandoned by her village and the people she loves and trusts, she is now a mercenary taking jobs for cash. What she didn't expect was Konoha paying her for a mission where she would have to confront her past. But what scared her more was the village learning the truth about her son. AU, Non-mass
1. Chapter 1

**So this is a new project that has captured my imagination. This does NOT mean my other works will not get finished. This hit me while i was pregnant and i had to start writing it. So enjoy and let me know what you think.**

* * *

Sixteen years ago Sakura's life changed in a way that she could never have foreseen.

It was perfect. She had the perfect job, the perfect team, the perfect friends, and even a perfect husband. Every morning she would wake up next to the most beautiful Uchiha she had ever laid eyes on, who was always wrapped tightly around her body. His raven hair, she knew, would be askew from sleep and it was also the only time he would ever let it look that way. Sakura remembered the first time waking up to Uchiha bedhead and she had teased him, "So if someone were to break into our house right now, would you fix your hair before being seen?"

That had earned her a pouting glare and the cold shoulder for the first two hours of the day. But of course when on their honeymoon Sakura wouldn't stand for it. So using her own powers of seduction she left her newlywed husband panting on the bed while she treated him to her "specialty". Of course, not wanting to speak to his wife, and not wanting to make any pleasurable noises whilst she was treating him so delightfully, led said Uchiha to one of the greatest orgasms he'd ever experienced.

But it wasn't just the sex that she missed about her love; she missed the way his eyes would soften every time he'd look at her. She missed the soft, tender kisses that he and he alone could bestow on her waiting lips. She missed the warm tingling in her stomach whenever he spoke in that low seductive voice that never ceased to make her wet. But most of all, she missed how protected she felt when he held her. Yes, being held was her absolute favorite…even trumping the sex.

With her quick progression in medical ninjutsu she easily spent the majority of her time at the hospital. She could honestly say she had treated almost every shinobi that passed through the big glass doors of the hospital. Injuries either life threatening, where she would achieve the impossible and save their lives, or if it was for their annual physical when she got to see hardened men cower at the thought of getting stuck by a needle. She had to admit that it pleased her to no end seeing her comrades pale at the tiny syringe that held a vaccine for a nasty disease. And she could swear that most of those men would rather battle the disease than get the damn shot. Oh well…rules were rules and so she stuck them every time.

If there was one group of people that she loved almost as much as her husband, it was her team. Team Seven. Each stuck up, determined, and lazy ass man on the team held a special place in her heart. Granted she was never a heavy hitter and they never treated her as such. She was always protected, which she loved, but also loathed. She was a kunoichi and she had to put her life on the line to right? But they never made her do it, always opting for her to wait in the rear or on the sidelines. And it took Tsunade's harsh apprenticeship for Sakura to even build some confidence in herself on the battlefield.

But even then Sakura had never been a supremely confident person. Ever since being teased about her wide forehead, her self-consciousness blew out of proportion. There was always something to criticize about her looks, her intelligence, and especially about her performance as a ninja. She was and always will be the weak link of Team Seven. And she hated it. Hated that no matter what she did, she would never be strong enough. Hated that no matter how many times she tried to prove her worth, someone would come along and shatter all of her fragile dreams. Hated that once people lost their faith in her, they could never forgive her. This curse Sakura seemed to carry with her where ever she went.

It was this day, May 13th, sixteen years ago that her entire village betrayed their trust in her.

xXxXx

"_You're doing great Sakura, now it's time to breathe, follow after me," Shizune coached her, "He-he-he-he-he."_

_Sakura's body was drenched in sweat as she tried following Shizune's instructions to breathe. It was just really hard to focus when giving birth, "He-he-he-haaaAAAAAAH!"_

"_He's crowning Sakura, you're almost done," Tsunade looked up briefly from her position between Sakura's legs, "Keep your mind calm, you're doing just fine."_

"_Another contraction is coming," Shizune told her master._

"_Right…Push!"_

"_AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"_

_Sakura's hands were squeezing the life out of her husband's. Why she ever thought that giving birth naturally was a good idea she will never know. It must have been her crazy pregnant lady brain doing all the bad thinking for her. _

"_Itachi!" she whimpered and said man leaned over to kiss her sweating forehead._

"_Shhhh," he cooed loud enough to be heard, "Focus Sakura."_

"_I'm trying…" she moaned her head throwing itself back against her pillows as another contraction hit and she pushed. _

"_The head's out, the last push will give us the body," Tsunade said in a professional voice, her eyes staying trained to the child being born._

"_One more Sakura," Itachi whispered in her ear, "One more push."_

_With one final heave after eight hours of labor Sakura finally gave birth to her son. Tsunade took the baby to get him cleaned and measured giving Sakura a chance to recover from her ordeal. Shizune immediately took her spot and began the healing. _

_Sakura lay panting on the bed exhausted from the labor. Itachi stayed valiantly by her side wiping the sweat from her slightly wide forehead before kissing it tenderly. A few seconds later Sakura's body completely relaxed at the sound of her baby's small cry. _

"_He's here," Sakura whispered looking up at the man she loved, "He's finally here."_

"_Hai."_

"_Your father will be happy that you have an heir."_

"_Hn."_

_Her breathing steadily grew softer and the lethargy began to kick in. Eight hours of natural labor was more intense than she was prepared for. But it was all worth it now that her baby was finally born. After two years of marriage she could finally call herself a mother. Her family was growing again and she couldn't be more excited. After her parent's died Sakura always felt as though the large hole in her heart would never be filled, but now with Itachi by her side and her baby in her arms she could finally be completely happy once more._

"_Sakura."_

_Green eyes looked up to meet her master's…there was something in her tone that had Sakura on edge. Was there something wrong? Why did her master's face look so…she couldn't even put a word to it. _

"_Who's the father?" Tsunade asked again holding the baby securely in her arms._

_Sakura's eyes widened in confusion, "Itachi is shishou…why would you ask me that?"_

_Tsunade shot a glance to Itachi and she could tell that he was on edge with her question as well as confused. Without another thought Tsunade held her arms out so Sakura could take her baby. And when they both laid eyes on him they started._

"_Shishou…what's the matter with his skin?" Sakura asked looking at his arm. What should have been light pink and pale skin was replaced by a deep tan. She didn't understand? Was it something she ate that dyed his skin?_

"_I'm going to ask you again Sakura, who is the father of this child?"_

"_It's Itachi! Shishou I would never cheat on my husband! Itachi tell her that!" Frightened emerald eyes turned quickly to her husband for support but she received none. The soft gentleness that was present while she went through labor was gone and replaced by harden onyx and his typical blank expression. He wasn't even standing next to her anymore…he was over by the door. _

"_Answer her question," he ordered._

_Sakura began shaking as she held her sleeping baby closer, "It's you Itachi, it has always been you. I would never, ever, cheat on you. You know this, I love you!"_

"_Not enough apparently."_

xXxXx

That was the last time she saw him. He had abruptly turned his back and walked out of the room. Sakura didn't even notice that the rest of the room had cleared out save for her and Tsunade. Sakura didn't have the courage to meet her teacher's eye…she didn't want to see the accusation in them. No one came to visit her. Where was her team? Her friends? Why was she all alone?

xXxXx

_The next day Sakura was discharged and she knew she wouldn't be welcomed at the Uchiha Compound. The news had obviously spread quickly based on the glares and hushed whispers she was receiving on the streets. No doubt the nurses in the delivery room were the source. She didn't think Tsunade or Itachi would actually be petty enough to spread these lies. Former fans girls were giving her death stares and for once in her life, Sakura feared that they would go through with killing her, especially given her weakened state. Holding her baby close to her body, shielding him from all the unfriendly eyes, she quickly checked into a small motel on the western edge of the village. _

_When she arrived to her room she promptly sat down on the bed and cried. How could they think this of her? She was Sakura, Konoha's Cherry Blossom, apprentice to the Godaime Hokage, second best medical-ninja in the world. She was a loyal kunoichi to her village. She had personally saved countless of lives from her non-stop work at the hospital. _

_But none of that mattered now. All her hard work at trying to feel needed, wanted, special…it was now broken beyond repair. She was now worse than scum…worse than dirt beneath their feet. _

_She was a traitor. _

_Everyone thought that she wasn't faithful in her marriage. But they couldn't be more wrong. Loosening her grip she laid her baby down onto the mattress in front her and leaned over him. He was currently asleep his small fists curled under his chin. She couldn't help but smile. Aside from his darker skin he looked just like his father, complete with small tear troughs that were almost imperceptible unless you were really looking at him. Studying his features more closely she realized that while he looked like Itachi his nose and lips were all her. She could even see the small dent indicating that his nose would turn up slightly at the end. Her tears dried slowly as she focused on his small form rather than on her sorrows. Even if Itachi and the rest of the village did not believe that her son was a legitimate child between her and her husband, she would never deny it. She could be put under Ibiki's harshest treatment and the truth would still ring true from her lips. _

_His large eyes opened to a dark forest green. Sakura was mesmerized for an instant at the richness of the color. It didn't have a vibrant shine but more of a mysterious allure…much like his father's brilliant onyx. Then he started to cry, it wasn't a piercing wail but more a cry of discomfort and Sakura instantly knew that he was hungry. So she settled herself against the headboard and unzipped her shirt to feed him. He latched on easily and his natural sucking instincts took over quickly. While he was occupied Sakura took that opportunity to remove the light blue beanie from his head and run her hand over his beautiful black hair. He truly was a beautiful baby. _

_A small spark of chakra startled the new mother as she instantly tensed, preparing to be attacked. Only she saw a small slug sitting on the end of the bed._

"_Sakura-san," the slug whispered._

"_Hello Komoi-san," she replied still holding her baby close. _

"_Tsunade-sama sent me to tell you that Uchiha-san is not claiming the baby. And that she can't file a proper birth certificate without a father and…and a first and…last name…"_

_Sakura felt her entire being shut down. Itachi had…he had…disowned her. He had taken away her last name. She was no longer his wife…_

"_I-I-I…I understand," Sakura fought more tears that threatened to spill and cleared her throat, "T-Tell her not to worry about that. It won't be necessary for her to make one."_

_Komoi nodded slightly, "Hai Sakura-san and…I'm sorry. Truly sorry."_

_Sakura only nodded as the slug disappeared from the room. He hated her…he truly thought that she had betrayed his trust…that she had betrayed their marriage. Her parent's dead…her friends nowhere to be found…and her husband…gone. She was utterly and completely alone._

"_There's nothing left for me here anymore," she whispered to her baby while she burped him, "Nobody cares. Nobody wants me around."_

_Usually at this time her little son would fall promptly asleep after a good feeding but instead he stayed awake. So Sakura set him down between her legs and gave him her delicate fingers to play with. _

"_You want me right, my baby?" she asked sadly as her tears continued to run down her cheeks. _

_In response he gripped her fingers and looked up into her sad eyes. Sakura smiled, he wouldn't just want her...no, he needed her. And he would never stop needing her. _

"_I promise my baby, I will protect you. And since I can't do that in Konoha we will go somewhere else and be happy. Just you and me; mommy and son."_

_She tickled him under his chin which prompted a small smile, the sight of it raising her spirits immensely. _

"_Shall we go then, my little warrior…my Takeshi."_

xXxXx

That was the last time she had set foot in Konoha or even in the Land of Fire. It'd been sixteen years since she had last seen the luscious forests of Fire or bathed in the warm rivers around the village. She missed it dearly but she also knew she wasn't welcomed there and she never would be again.

"You're thinking about it again aren't you?"

Sakura turned towards the light tenor of her adolescent son's voice. He was standing in the doorway to her temporary room arms folded but with a soft understanding look in his eyes. She smiled tenderly at him, he looked so handsome. Every town, every village, and every city they set foot in women would flock to him like bees to a honeypot. And she couldn't blame them. He stood tall like his father with broad shoulders that were more typical of her side of the family, and it was a trait she noticed that developed from his study of kenjutsu. His silky black hair hung around his eyes giving him a dark and mysterious allure and ended at the base of his neck. Beneath the thin black, long-sleeved shirt she knew were nicely toned arms followed by a stunning torso. His black cargo pants hung perfectly around his hips, his weapons pouch snug on his belt and twin ninjatao's were strapped to his back in an X formation. His tanned skinned only served to enhance his striking features; high cheekbones, the slight upturned nose, and lightly colored lips that could only have come from her. And the small tear troughs that were so distinctly from his father had not grown past a few centimeters from his eyes. She was grateful for that…it made him look a little less like her lover in that regard. Not that she could ever forget Itachi…

"Hai Take-kun…I was," she answered holding her hand out to him.

He took it without question and assumed the typical cuddling position; him on the floor sitting between her legs with his back to her. His mother began running her fingers through his beautiful hair.

"You shouldn't do this to yourself. There's nothing that can be done to change the past."

"I know…"

"Then why?" he looked up at her weary, tear-stained eyes wanting to comfort her but knowing that nothing could be done. She always did this…every year on his birthday. It used to make him angry, thinking that his mother didn't want to be happy on his birthday on purpose. He thought that she was trying to give him an unconscious hint that she wished that he wasn't alive and that she didn't want him. But that was when he was a naïve child of five. When he was eight he finally convinced his mother to tell him why she was always sad instead of happy on his birthday.

xXxXx

"_Takeshi…" she sighed running a hand over her face. _

_He could tell she was about to blow off his question again with another "I'll tell you when you're older" statements. But this time she wasn't going to get out of it._

"_For my birthday present I want you to tell me why you're always sad on my birthday," he stood stubbornly next to her arms folded and dark green eyes bore unrelenting into her lighter green._

_Sakura stared at him in surprise at first, she could honestly say she was shocked by his request, but then her gaze dropped as she grabbed the sake bottle next to her and took a long drink._

"_This is also the only day you get yourself drunk and I want to know why? It is because you don't want me? And that I'm a failure?"_

"_NO!"_

"_Then tell me! I'm old enough to hear and understand!" he demanded his own tears beginning to show before he wiped them away furiously._

"_Takeshi…alright. You are old enough to hear the story."_

xXxXx

And she told him everything and he knew it to be the truth because if there was one thing his mother never did to him…it was lie. He distinctly remembered the first time he caught her lying and it had made him cry. From that day forward she had promised to never lie to him again. But her promise came with a warning that sometimes the truth might hurt. But he didn't care, he'd rather get the hurt done and over with sooner rather than blindly go on thinking that the lie is the truth. Life was much simpler when one had all the facts up front.

From that night on Takeshi had taken his training more seriously. From the age of five, which his mother told him was typical Academy entrance age, he had begun training in chakra use and weaponry. Being home schooled since birth he knew that while his mother might be a task master she was also very aware of his limits. Occasionally she would try and push him when she could see improvement, which he hated being told what to do and when etc., but he always tolerated it because now he was training to uphold his own silent vow.

To protect his mother and take care of her until his dying breath.

She had saved him from being treated like a dirty rotten bastard, from being scolded and tormented from something that he was entirely innocent of. She had left a note retiring from her work as a shinobi and left with nothing more than the clothes on her back. He remembered that portion of the story perfectly.

xXxXx

_She held him in her lap and stroked his hair. This setting always seemed to calm her down whenever she was distressed and he had to admit that he liked it when she stroked his head, "I knew that when I left I couldn't go anywhere familiar. I headed west simply because that's the direction of the village I was already in. It wasn't a smart move but I wasn't thinking to clearly at the time. I covered my tracks well and made sure to mask my chakra to prevent anyone from following. It was a very exhausting and tiring journey considering I had only had a day to recover from labor. But I eventually got to a small farming village…it didn't even have running water. I stayed there for the first year of your life. Traveling with a small infant at that time was dangerous and I risked you contracting an infection. But I knew that this place was safe considering it was so far off the grid, I doubt any shinobi had ever happened upon it before. The people were wary of me at first, but when they saw you and my rather…unbecoming appearance they instantly took me in. We stayed with an elderly woman."_

"_I remember her," the child Takeshi cut in looking up at her his little eyes wide, "she had long silver hair that she kept in a braid and it touched the ground right?"_

_Sakura kissed his forehead, "That's right, her name was Jiabi Ikida. And she loved to spoil you." Sakura poked his little nose as he smiled, "She sewed all of your little clothes, beanies, and booties. She was exactly what I needed at the time. I helped out around the village healing injuries and tending to Ikida's garden. The rains came three days after we arrived and I knew that if Konoha was even trying to look for me they would completely lose the trail. We were safe from harm. But I also knew that we couldn't stay here forever because sooner or later someone would find this place and find me and you. So after we celebrated your one year birthday we left. That was when our traveling escapades started."_

"_So we don't stay in one place for very long because you don't want Konoha to find us?" Takeshi asked._

"_Hai. I don't want to see you subjected to the hatred that was directed towards me. You're my baby; I have to protect you even if it costs me my life. You are the only person that matters to me."_

"_Kaa-san I love you," Takeshi whispered as he wrapped his arms tightly around her neck._

_Sakura's tears started afresh, wetting the small fabric of her son's shirt, "I love you so much Takeshi. All I want from this life is to just make you happy. You will let me know if I ever make you unhappy, right?"_

"_Hai Kaa-san you make me very happy."_

_Sakura only held him tighter in response as her tears slowly stopped and she released him._

"_Can I make a request Kaa-san?"_

"_What is it?"_

_Takeshi stood up off her lap in his signature pose, arms folded and eyes hard, "Train me."_

_Sakura cocked her head to the side, "I'm already training you?"_

"_No I mean train me more."_

"_Takeshi your training is fine."_

"_But you're protecting me…it's only fair if I return the favor right? Besides if we're both watching each other's backs and protecting each other then we don't have to look out for ourselves because the other is already watching out for us…right?"_

_Her smile widened significantly and she ruffled his black hair affectionately, "Hai that's a very logical explanation. So I'll intensify your training per your request. Then once you're ready you can join me on the missions, nei?"_

"_Really?!" His dark eyes widened excitedly, "You mean you'll take me on some?!"_

_She giggled, "Hai but first you have to prove to me that you can take care of yourself. If I have to worry about looking out for you then our mission will fail. And you know what happens if we fail a mission?"_

"_Then we don't get paid."_

"_And if we don't get paid?"_

"_Then we don't eat."_

_She pulled him in for a hug and placed a large kiss on his cheek, "That's right and my baby has to eat."_

xXxXx

It was that day that his mother had kept good on her word. His training had intensified from there and by the age of ten he was accompanying her on missions. Granted she had him play look out and other minor roles when he went with her but he took his job seriously. There were a couple of close calls that happened during two missions that if he hadn't have given her a warning then she would have been killed. So while he was out of trouble he was never useless. And he was proud when she praised him afterwards. When he got older he realized just how dangerous of a life that they lived. They were rouge shinobi with no allegiance to any Hidden Village, mercenaries that only took jobs for money and sometimes they had to fight to get the good paying ones. When Takeshi was thirteen he watched as a man made an unwanted pass at his mother and before she could even react he had gutted the man. His mother had started to protest but before she got any words out he threaten the vagabond, "Touch one single hair on her head and you will taste the steel of my blade…got it." Sakura would admit she loved his protective side, it was a decent replacement for…Itachi's sense of security. But in all honesty she can't get over the fact that her son would kill for her. This was her baby…her little boy that she gave birth to. Deep down she wanted him to stay sweet and innocent, but reality was harsh and that type of quick response attitude was what was needed in the world they were living in.

"You didn't answer my question…" he reminded her softly and she continued stroking his hair.

"I do it because I love him still," she answered softly.

"How can you love someone who has wounded you so badly? It doesn't make sense Kaa-san," he turned around from his spot on the floor so he could look at her without craning his neck.

She replaced her hands in her lap, "It is better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all."

His eyes narrowed, "That's a foolish saying. Why would you want to remember something like that?"

Her own eyes softened, "Because to love and be loved in return is the greatest feeling in the world. When I was married to your father I _was_ the happiest woman in existence."

He growled in disagreement and it made her sigh in exasperation. The first time he grunted "hn" at her, she had frozen in shock. When he asked she told him that he sounded exactly like his father when he did that. From that day instead of grunting he would use any other type of sound. He'd be damned if he imitated the man who left his mother high and dry and broke her heart.

"Considering how against falling in love you are, you wouldn't really understand."

"I don't want to fall in love, not with what it's done to you."

"Not every relationship ends up like mine."

"I don't care. I'll never have to know that kind of heartache if I never fall in love."

"Takeshi…you already love someone, I know this," she smiled slyly at him.

He growled again this time looking like a pouting child, "You don't count, you're my mother."

She giggled brushing the hair out of his eyes, "So just because I'm your mother means that you can't love me?"

"Now you're putting words into my mouth," he argued back but couldn't help the small smile that slowly worked its way onto his lips, "I never said I didn't love you I only said I'm not _falling_ in love with some…girl."

That statement made Sakura pout, "Why not?"

"Because then I wouldn't be around to protect you anymore."

"Takeshi…" she leaned forward and he pulled her to the ground in a tight hug, "I love you my son."

"I love you too Kaa-san and I will never leave you alone," he replied softly, "Besides…someone has to stay around and make sure you don't get drunk off your ass."

That comment had him sliding across the room as he clutched his sore shoulder grimacing through a smile. Two sets of green eyes locked together both wearing similar amused smirks. Sakura lifted the bottle of sake and downed the rest of the contents.

"You just proved my point, you know that right?"

The next second he had to dodge the empty sake bottle.

* * *

_Sixteen years…_

Today was the day all those many years ago that he left his wife. Sixteen years ago he believed that she had an affair with another man. Sixteen years ago he had been so angry that he almost killed both of them on the spot. Sixteen years ago…and he still felt like he had made the worst mistake of his life.

_How could I have done that to her?_

He thought back to the moment.

xXxXx

_He had to remove himself from the hospital room before he did anything rash. When Tsunade had first asked Sakura who the father was he had almost thought she was teasing. That was until he looked up and saw the serious look in her eyes. Sakura seemed equally bewildered by the question until she saw the baby. His skin was dark…how could his skin be dark? Dark skin didn't run in either of their families. There's no genetic way that child would have dark skin was unless…_

_Unless it wasn't his child._

_His eyes bled red as his sharingan swirled to life. He loved her, he treasured her, and he thought that she felt the same. That was why he asked her to marry him. Obviously he was wrong about her. She was just like all the other shallow women, they didn't love him, they only loved the idea of him when they would rather be with someone else. It sickened him to the point that he wanted to vomit. He trusted her more than he trusted his own family and she had gone and slept with another man, conceived his child, and then had the audacity to say it was his! How dare she try to make him responsible for a child that wasn't his own! _

_When he arrived at his and Sakura's home he shut himself in his room and didn't leave for a week. When he exited he had time to mull over the situation. He had come to a conclusion that Sakura, his sweet, gentle, beautiful Sakura, would never be able to betray him in that way. It just wasn't in her personality. He had left her operating solely on his instincts and feelings that he should never have allowed to control him in the first place. It was a foolish decision on his part and one that could cost him dearly if he didn't leave his room and try to patch things up with his wife. He loved her and he had to at least try. _

_But things had gone to hell in a hand basket while he sulked in his room. Fugaku had found out about the supposed infidelity and promptly burned their marriage certificate and stripped her of the Uchiha name. Itachi couldn't believe it and argued with his father that he had no right do make those decisions for him. Fugaku had said that while Itachi was busy acting like a spoiled child by shutting himself up in his house, he had inadvertently left him with cleaning up his wife's mess while protecting the clan's reputation. It was the first verbal fight that he had ever gotten into with his father. Itachi knew he wasn't getting anywhere with the stubborn man so instead of continuing his useless battle, Itachi stormed out of the compound and went straight to Hokage Tower to see Tsunade. _

"_Where is she?!" Itachi demanded as he burst through into her office still angry after his altercation with his father._

"_Itachi-san calm down," Tsunade sighed sadly looking at the torn man. He didn't even seem to notice the other people in the room._

"_I. Will. Not." He intoned harshly, "Tell me where she is. I need to speak with her."_

"_Well you can't."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because she is no longer in the village."_

_Itachi turned to look at the speaker and saw that the entirety of Team Seven was in the room with him. His eyes met Kakashi's own pained dark black orbs and he demanded him to elaborate on his previous statement. _

"_She left Uchiha-sempai. Probably a few days ago. We couldn't track her very far because of the recent rain," Kakashi explained. _

_Itachi vaguely remembered hearing rain outside his window. He could only hope that she hadn't gotten caught out in it…she could get sick or the baby could…and he wouldn't be there to help. _

"_Which direction?"_

"_Itachi it's fruitless," Tsunade cut in, "Sakura covered her tracks well when she left and then with the rain she disappeared into thin air."_

"_No, I will find her," he turned to leave only to be stopped._

"_Uchiha Itachi you stop right there! Sakura is no longer a shinobi of Konoha. You are not permitted to leave this village to go in search of her. To do so will earn you the rank of missing-nin and traitor to your village."_

_His hand froze on the door. Two sides of his conscience were now warring, one was saying to hell with it and to go find his wife. The other was saying that as a shinobi he was not allowed to disobey a direct order from his Hokage. _

"_Sakura was staying in a motel on the western side of Konoha. She left this note in the room and the owner brought it to me. This letter states that she has resigned and retired as a shinobi of Konoha and in order to prevent further embarrassment on herself and your clan she has left the village. With her claim to resignation and retirement I cannot permit a search party to go retrieve her."_

_He would never understand why but his logical, shinobi side had won in the end. His hand left the door knob only to be clenched by his side. She was gone…she had left him for good…he was too late. _

_His heart shattered into a million pieces._

xXxXx

His thoughts turned him back to the present when he heard shuffling outside his office door. He was currently sitting in his home office a sake bottle opened and half empty. He had become a changed man after that incident. He never smiled, he never laughed, he only spoke when spoken to and even then he never spoke more than five words if he could help it. After the initial bout of loss left, he learned that his father had arranged another marriage for him. He was sickened by this but didn't fight it, he was still the clan heir and his father still expected things from him. One of the things he expected was for Itachi to birth an heir.

His father had picked him a meek woman from within the clan. He didn't love her and he never would. His heart was already given away to another and even if he had confirmation of Sakura's death, he would not betray her…not again. He knew that nothing he did could make up for what he had done but as his mother had wisely put it, "You can't spend the rest of your life living in the past or else you will miss the goodness of the future." So try as he might, he tried to live in the present. And it worked except on this day and a few others…actually if he was being honest, there wasn't a day that went by where he didn't think of her. Sakura's memory was forever burned into his mind; their first electrifying kiss that led to their first date, the day they became a couple, the day he proposed, he could still picture her perfectly in her wedding kimono smiling rosy lips and all. And then of course their wedding night which was everything a wedding night could be. Even now his heart thumped loudly in his chest thinking and reliving those intimate moments with her.

The next thought he always tried to hide but every time it crept up from behind and forced its way into the front. The day she told him she was pregnant. She glowed as if an inner light inside of her had turned on. She looked radiant, all smiles and giggles when she held out the pregnancy test then confirmed with her medical chakra. She was carrying his child…he was going to be a father. He had never been happier in his entire life. He could see it now…how wrong he had been to judge her so quickly. But these memories were always followed by his betrayal…the day she gave birth. He had been such a fool. She trusted him…why couldn't he trust her?

"Otou-san?" a meek little voice whispered on the other side of the door.

"Enter," his command was short and bland just like most of his speech.

The door slid open and a little boy poked his head in, "Okaa-san says it's time for dinner."

He nodded once and the boy slid the door closed. Between him and his new wife they had three children. It seemed as though fate was mocking him since his first two with his current wife were girls. Sakura had given him a son the first time. Even though he knew that the man technically picks the sex of each child he couldn't help but feel this was Lady Justice rearing her head…or was it Karma. Still though it seemed…unfair in the fact that it wasn't fair to his new wife, that the only time they were ever intimate with each other was for the sole reason of getting her pregnant. With the first girl he figured it was poetic justice and with the second it seemed as though the world was out to kill him. He pleaded to any unseen deity after the second girl's birth that they end his suffering. He didn't want to put his new wife through the pain of false intimacy anymore. Luckily those prayers were answered and she birthed a son and his…new heir.

Rising slowly from his chair he finished his current glass of sake before leaving the room. With confident but silent steps he walked through the halls of his home and seated himself regally at the head of his table. His eldest daughter was fourteen named Hama, she had long chocolate brown hair that was thick and full like her mother's, she kept it in a tight ponytail, and dark onyx eyes like her father. Her Genin team was trying out for the Chunin exams this year. His second daughter was named Suki and she had dark mat black hair cut into a short bob that framed her angular face that she inherited from her father. Her eyes were a dark brown the same as her mother. She would be graduating from the Academy next year. His youngest sported hair identical to his own except he liked to keep it a short buzz cut, his eyes were also onyx like his elder sister's. Yes his youngest was afraid of having long girly hair, not that he said that to his dad's face. Uchiha Jiro was a man's man…except he was a six year old boy.

None of his children could be considered exceptional. He would have thought that being born from a prodigy, such as himself, that at least one would have more than average shinobi skills. He would train with them when time permitted, as the current clan head and Chief of the Police Force he had many duties to see to. Of course that was just the excuse he would give them if they pestered him too much. But another part of him felt guilty…guilty in the respect that he couldn't train another. Maybe his firstborn from Sakura was given all of his talent. That would not be a large stretch considering the child will most likely inherit Sakura's perfect chakra control. What a strong shinobi that child would be, that is if he was still alive.

He could only hope that maybe one day he would get to meet him. Maybe he could apologize for abandoning him as a baby, him and his mother. For Sakura he knew he could only beg for her forgiveness and hope that she would grant it. But if she chose to hate him forever then he would bear it knowing he rightfully deserved her anger as well as his first son's. He didn't even know his name. When he questioned Tsunade about the birth certificate she told him one was not created since they didn't have a father, surname, and Sakura never told her his first name. As if Itachi's depression hadn't been bad enough there wasn't even a formal record of the birth. No evidence except flesh and blood wandering around Kami knows where with half of his DNA.

"Otou-san," his eldest Hama drew his attention out of his thoughts.

"Hn," he responded in his typical monotone. It was also consistent with his never to say more words than were necessary, hence why his children all had short names.

"The Chunin exams start soon, are you available at all to help me train?" Hama learned early on to make sure not to presume anything. She needed to word her questions carefully or else he will reject them outright. She honestly hated the silence that permeated the dining table whenever the family sat for dinner. She had questioned her Uncle Sasuke about the quiet dinners and he said they were typical for him and his brother as a child. Hama felt a little better knowing that her father and her uncle were brought up under similar circumstances…but still the stony silence bothered her. As such when she broke the almost eerie silence she always made sure she had something relatively important to say.

"When do the exams start?" He asked quietly before taking a bite of his dinner.

"A month Otou-san."

He remained silent contemplating his answer and going over his schedule. Really he never had to do this but at the same time he did. The majority of his time that was spent working on "clan business", aside from police business, was actually spent lost in his own thoughts usually surrounding a pink haired woman and his dark skinned son. He would admit it only to himself though, to everyone else he was pondering current politics and the direction the clan was taking and how to make his clan proud. He really wished he had convinced his father to pass the mantle onto Sasuke but the stubborn man refused. Itachi was born first and that wasn't a birthright that could just be given to another. But getting back on topic he supposed that for two weeks he could sacrifice some time spent brooding to make sure his daughter passed the Chunin exam.

"Before dinner for two hours," he answered simply then took a drink of his tea.

Hama smiled, "Thank you Otou-san."

He looked up and nodded. A light smile threatened to cross his face but he suppressed it. His daughter was clearly happy, she didn't need to see his smile. With his eyes raised he caught his new wife's eye and she smiled softly at him. He didn't give her one in return and he could see the lingering sadness in her eyes.

Uchiha Midori had been hoping that after sixteen years he would have at least warmed up to her some. Or maybe giving him three children would be enough to at least warrant a small smile from her husband. But she knew it would never happen. She was not ignorant going into this marriage. Fugaku had propositioned her father a week after Itachi's first wife left Konoha. She also knew the circumstances…well the entire village knew why…it wasn't a secret that she was unfaithful to him. But mentioning the subject around him was a quick way to get on his bad side. She had never spoken of it and she never would. She was not unaware; she knew that he still loved Sakura dearly.

xXxXx

_A few days before their wedding, his mother Mikoto and a few other women were enlisted to clean the home out. And beforehand Midori thought that meant just cleaning it. But she wasn't more wrong in that regard, they cleaned out any trace of Sakura, including sheets and kitchen ware that she had slept on or used. Anything belonging to the former kunoichi, or could possibly smell like her, was put into boxes to be placed in Konoha's storage…reserved for Konoha's deceased shinobi. Midori had the misfortune of taking down pictures. Sakura was obviously an avid picture taker because they littered the halls and bedrooms. The hardest one to take down was a big 14x14 wedding picture. Itachi held Sakura's hands delicately in his larger ones. They were both staring at each other and you could see the love radiating between the two. At that moment she knew he would never look at her that way. But she could hope for at least a little bit of affection._

_Once she placed the picture into the box the front door opened and Itachi stood there in shock. His mother approached him and explained the situation. The anger and rage was evident in his eyes as he glared at his mother, the other women, and her. But he didn't say a word, he merely turned around and stormed out of his house. _

_Nobody saw him for three days. _

_Tsunade was almost forced to declare him a missing-nin thinking that he had officially left the village in search of Sakura, but he showed up the evening on the third day covered in blood, dirt, and slime stating that he was in the Forest of Death releasing some pent up anger. Or he would have said that if he were talking to anybody. That interpretation was given to them by his closest friend and cousin Shisui. _

_The day of their wedding she couldn't detect a single emotion from him. His back faced away from her as she walked up to the tea table for the ceremony and when she sat next to him he didn't turn to look. They completed the process quickly and at the end he didn't even kiss her._

Her first kiss with her husband wouldn't even be until a year and a half after marriage. She didn't get a wedding night and she stayed a virgin until the night of her first kiss. It was a night she would never forget…but not for the normal reasons.

_He was stressed, she could tell. He had at least told her that it was his father that set him on edge. She had cooked a simple dinner of his favorite onigiri, Mikoto had told her this. She didn't know anything about Itachi on a personal level, not even his favorite color. She figured it was black because he wore that color so frequently. Or maybe because in some way he was in mourning…she would never know. But after dinner she went through her regular routine of getting ready for bed. Her hair was brushed so it was tangle free, her teeth neatly brushed clean, and her sleeping yukata pulled tightly around her body. She drew the covers back on the bed noticing Itachi's stiff back as he sat on the edge on his side of the bed. She climbed under the covers, sighing softly to herself, and turned off the lamp on her side of the bed. _

"_Goodnight Itachi-san," she whispered. She couldn't even muster up the courage to call him –kun or -chan. She merely snuggled into her pillow getting ready for a decent night's sleep._

_He remained silent but that wasn't a surprise. He rarely spoke to her. Most of the days she would spend in silent solitude which was fine…but after almost two year's worth of relative silence it was starting to get to her. _

"_Wait…"_

_Her brown eyes shot open…did he says something? It was so quiet she couldn't be sure._

"_Lie on your back and open your yukata."_

_Had she heard wrong? "What?" _

_He turned and she was shocked to see that he was only wearing his boxers. He never wore only his boxers to bed; he always wore pants or shorts over them. _

"_We need to have a child. My father wants to see you pregnant by the end of the year," he explained in his typical monotone._

_Her eyes widened in surprise and also fear; this was officially the longest conversation she has ever had with her husband. She…she and Itachi…they were officially going to become man and wife. Maybe this would help him warm up to her? Maybe he could begin to at least not be so cold towards her anymore? A small spark of hope began bubbling in her chest. _

"_Hai…" she replied timidly and did as instructed. Her hands shook as she untied the tie around her waist and opened the folds. Her skin lay open for his perusal but he didn't look. He merely turned off the lamp on his own side and slid over her. Their bodies didn't touch and Midori was afraid to move as he spread her legs with his knees. She was extremely nervous not only because of losing her virginity but because of what this would mean for their very fragile relationship. _

_He descended and they both breathed in at the close contact. Then he kissed her. It was barely a touch of the lips and felt more forced than anything. His arms were on either side of her head holding the majority of his weight off of her only allowing their chests to brush against each other. For her it was erotic, she had never been touched like this before. This was going to be her first time. Tentatively her hands raised and touched his lower back. His lips broke away from hers in a harsh gasp but she didn't remove her hands. His father wants her pregnant and if she didn't encourage him then it wouldn't happen. So she tentatively rubbed up his back feeling the smooth planes of his skin that was easily turning her on. _

_Itachi on the other hand was suffering…it was sheer torture. He was about to have sex with another woman who wasn't his wife. Except that on paper the woman below him was his wife and the wife of his heart was nothing more than another woman. He couldn't do this…but he had to. If he didn't…well he didn't want to think about the consequences. But he knew that after this night he would be the cheater and Sakura would always remain clean. He loathed himself for his predicament. He should have fought harder against his father's rash decisions. He should have deserted the village when he heard Sakura left. He should have run after her, chased her down and begged for forgiveness. They could have been happy together in the outside world. But he didn't, he stayed and did his duty like a true shinobi and clan heir would. And this is what it had gotten him…_

_Midori could feel the internal struggle inside of him. His back was tense and whether he knew it or not he was trembling slightly against her. Her first thought was that he wasn't pleased with her body but she quickly cast that aside knowing that this went deeper than petty looks. She tried soothing him with soft strokes up and down his back. She thought it had worked until her panties were literally ripped from her body and he gave a pained groan as he released himself from his boxers. He caught her scream when he entered her as his lips crashed against hers. Internally she rejoiced when he didn't move after breaking into her, he was letting her adjust. But faster than their intimacy started it had already ended. And he didn't even cum inside of her. He removed himself at the last minute and finished in his hand then all but ran to the bathroom without speaking a word. _

_Midori just lied there on the bed not moving and definitely not sated. Granted she didn't know what an orgasm was in the first place, but she knew then and there that sex with Itachi was never going to be for enjoyment. If anything it would be literally for impregnating her. She sat up slowly, wrapped her yukata and tied it loosely around her. Maybe she could try and comfort him. Her steps were light and she walked towards the bathroom door but stopped at an unusual sound. _

_He was crying. _

_She could hear the faint sniffling and the choked sobs that he was trying to contain and it made her heart sad for him. It was then she came to a permanent conclusion, he would never love her. Tolerate her, and possibly like and respect her, but never love. His heart belonged to Sakura whether she wanted it or not, Itachi would always be hers._

xXxXx

She finished cleaning up the dishes with the help of her children then shooed them up to get ready for bed. After tucking in her youngest she adjourned to the bedroom to see Itachi looking out the window up at the moon.

"Thank you Itachi," she whispered walking up to him. After three years she decided that honorifics weren't worth the trouble. He didn't seem to mind her not using them.

"For what?" he asked not looking at her, his eyes never straying from the beautiful full moon.

"For putting your children first," she answered simply, "I know I'm not Sakura and that you'll never love me but…I can tell that you love your children, even if it's just a little bit. If you didn't then you would never take the time to train with them and help them. So thank you for being a good father."

She touched his arm briefly before retreating to the bathroom for her nightly routine.

Itachi sighed closing his eyes. Was he a good father? He ignored his children in favor of his lost love. He ruled his house in strict obedience almost more so than his father did. But they were his family and he had not failed them yet. He kept food on the table, a house over their heads, a safe environment for them to grow up and live in, and he trained with them. He admitted that it could be worse, so in that respect he wasn't a failure of a parent…just a parent that wasn't overly involved in his children's lives. He let his wife take care of raising them and nurturing them.

_Midori…_

Opening his eyes he stared at the bathroom door and waited for her to emerge from her ablutions. She did a few minutes later and met his steady gaze with her own. She didn't move, something inside told her not to. Itachi just stared at her as if finally seeing her for the first time. Uchiha Midori stood by his side for sixteen years knowing that he didn't love her and didn't want her; she willing gave him three children that were definitely not created out of love. Yet not once had she ever complained or asked the impossible from him. He realized he never gave her any sort of gratitude for dealing with his harsh and silent attitude for all those years. In that sense he admired her slightly for any lesser woman probably would have turned truly unfaithful after not consummating their marriage until a year and a half later. Yet she stayed true and waited probably knowing that if she were to become unfaithful he would leave her without a backwards glance. But still he couldn't argue that his father didn't choose well for his second wife. This woman was a true saint and a good mother.

"Thank you."

Midori's steady gaze softened dramatically and she nodded slowly in response. She was graced with a small smile in return and the softening of his gaze. She felt like she had just won a million bucks. Itachi's actions told her that he respected her, which was more that she was expecting from her heart sick, stoic husband.

And she couldn't be more grateful.

* * *

**Please leave a review for your feedback! **

**I was going to wait until i finished Becoming One to post this chapter but i just couldn't wait and i wanted to share! **

**FYI: Typically for this story if there are long passages in _Italics_ with breaks, you're reading a flashback. There will be more. But i'm also using them for thoughts. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I cannot resist. Here you go everyone!**

* * *

"**Panther are you in position?" **A muffled voice came over the radio.

"In position Leopard," he replied quietly, "Cast the genjutsu."

"**Roger."**

Panther crouched on top of the large villa waiting for the go sign from his partner. Their mission was to retrieve a stolen artifact, more specifically a jeweled dagger. A relatively simple mission for their skills but their employer didn't want any of his men on the job for fear of being recognized. Not that he believed that the item was stolen from their employer in the first place…quite the opposite actually. But that didn't matter, they were being paid to bring the dagger to him and the price was too good to pass up.

"**Genjutsu finished, infiltrate."**

He slid slowly down the wall to the window below using trace amounts of chakra. Pulling a kunai from his holster Panther opened the window and slipped easily inside shutting it gently. He quickly scanned the room glad to see it was empty as predicted then ran to the door. Hallway empty, perfect. The corridor was wide and carpeted which made it easier for him; his shoes wouldn't be heard on the soft fabric. His destination was straight down this hallway then through the door on the right. Except when he opened the designated door the room was empty.

"Leopard package not at designated location," he reported over the radio as he rechecked the hallway so as not to be caught in an ambush.

"**We did not receive a secondary location. Go over the plans again and pick the most likely spot. We have ten minutes until the guard changes."**

"Roger, I'm staying here, wait for Plan B."

Closing his eyes and hiding in the corner of the room Takeshi went through the map again in his head. Before leaving on the mission their employer rolled out the blueprints to the house. With his eyes hidden behind his mask he easily copied the layout of the house with his sharingan.

xXxXx

"_Takeshi?!" Sakura was quite surprised with what she was seeing, even though reason told her she shouldn't be._

"_What is it Kaa-san?" the six year old asked bewildered._

"_Kami-sama…" she whispered, "Takeshi, I want you to answer a question for me."_

"_Hai."_

"_What exactly can you see?"_

_He smiled wide, "I can see everything Kaa-san! It's so cool, I can see little flecks of dust in the air, I can see the threads in the carpet, oh and I can see different layers in your eyes. Kaa-san did you know the eyes were made of layers? It's not just one big round ball!"_

_Sakura overcame her shock and started giggling at his boyish wonder, "Take-kun how long have you been able to see like that?"_

"_Only a couple of days. I noticed I could see better when I was training sometimes. It was so cool, I was even faster than normal with my shruiken! You should watch me when I can see super good Kaa-san! Then I can show you how good I've gotten!"_

"_Oh my little boy," she kissed the top of his head, "Come with me." She led him into their temporary bathroom and set him on the counter, "Look in the mirror."_

_He turned his head obediently and his mouth fell open at the sight. His eyes were red and there were two black squiggle dots on them, "Kaa-san what's wrong with my eyes?"_

"_There's nothing wrong with them Takeshi. Remember what I told you about different clans in Konoha?"_

"_Hai."_

"_This is the sharingan. It's the bloodline trait passed down by-"_

"_The Uchiha's," he finished for her in an awed whisper, "Kaa-san…does this mean my Tou-san was an Uchiha?"_

"_Hai, had we still been in Konoha your name would have been Uchiha Takeshi."_

xXxXx

Since that day his mother set up special trainings that were meant to use the sharingan. He had to admit that he wouldn't have been able to complete the tasks if he did not have those eyes. But while he trained with his bloodline he also made sure to train without it. His mother told him that there were people in the world with a severe grudge against Uchihas, and while he didn't legally possess that surname, having the sharingan was more than enough proof of lineage. So under his mother's advisement he never used his bloodline unless under extreme circumstances, to copy important information, or if he knew he wouldn't get caught using it.

"Leopard, I'm heading into the cellar. Our employer mentioned that the target was a wine connoisseur. I'm betting the package will be down there with the other valuables."

"**Hai, that's the most logical explanation besides infiltrating target's bedroom. Use the outside cellar entrance as your escape route, should you confirm. I'll cover your exit."**

"Roger."

He snuck back into the hallway and made a hard left to the other side of the manor where the indoor cellar entrance was. Really…breaking into places like this was almost a joke, especially with his mother's complex genjutsu clouding the guard's eyes. But easy money was easy money and they wouldn't ever pass it up.

But they did have standards, assassination missions were a dime a dozen and the higher the pay the harder it was to get to your target. And before accepting any mission outright they would deliberate amongst themselves making sure that the mission would not compromise their ethics. Never had they killed children, cheating husbands or wives, or a monarch. A corrupted authority though, they had no qualm about removing from the earth, but those missions were usually commissioned by the abused population and almost always done out of the goodness of their hearts. Those people were usually poor and could barely afford food let alone two expert assassins. So in a sense he had to be grateful that this mission was decent pay, no casualties needed, and they would come away from this injury free.

He got to the cellar door and opened it slowly so a squeak wouldn't give away his position. The hallway was dark and instead of turning on a light he activated his bloodline so he could navigate in the darkness. It wasn't long until a dim light came into sight. He snuck easily around the corner and spied a lone guard nodding off at his desk. Takeshi smirked and performed a simple genjutsu to push the man into the land of dreams. Stealing the keys from the sleeping guard's belt he unlocked the door and entered the cellar. He was feeling more and more optimistic because in reality, what kind of man hires a guard to protect a cellar full of wine unless…there wasn't only wine in that cellar.

He pulled the long chain and a dim light turned on. Barrels lined the far wall across from the entrance with tables on the east and west wall. Turning his head towards the west he noticed that some of the barrels were less dusty than the ones to the east. He walked over and read the labels on each of the barrels, all stating the name of the wine, from where it was grown, and the year. But something just didn't sit right with him. Why have a guard to only protect wine? He was certain that his instinct was right. There was something about these barrels…

Making a fist he knocked on a dusty barrel and didn't hear an echo, signifying it was full of liquid. Testing his theory again he knocked on a less dusty barrel except we was rewarded with an echo. Smirking to himself he took out a kunai and opened the top and found an assortment of trinkets stashed in hay. He sifted through the contents but did not find the dagger.

"Leopard I have found the room and am currently trying to locate target."

"**Copy that, work fast the guards are changing in five minutes."**

"Roger."

He continued knocking on the barrels and opening every one that came back hollow. Keeping a mental count in his head he only had one minute until guard change when he finally found the dagger. It was solid gold with a stainless steel tempered blade. The butt of the blade had a large ruby embedded into it. The hilt was lined with miniature diamonds that swirled from the ruby to the blade. It was a beautiful piece, obviously designed for showmanship and not practical use, but the blade was sharp so he replaced it into its sapphire and emerald sheath and proceeded to his escape route.

"I have the package, heading towards secondary exit."

"**Copy that. Thirty seconds until guard change. Hurry it up and we can still play it off that the guards were asleep."**

"Roger, see you in fifteen."

"**Over and out."**

Quickly running against the clock he didn't take as much time picking the outside lock quietly. According to the plans this exit was surrounded by shrubs to try and conceal the passageway. It was built in the first place as a way out in case the house caved in and someone was trapped down there. The doors creaked but that was to be expected from the lack of use. He crouched behind the thick shrubs then cut a hole to look for his partner. His read eyes scanned the surroundings trying to discern where his partner was stationed in the dark forest.

There…a light flash from a kunai reacting to the moonlight.

"Your position is located, ready to move out on your call."

"**Break cover in three….two….one…now."**

He burst through the bushes headed directly to her location quickly taking cover in the trees. He ran near the garden path but avoided the cobblestone in case guards traversed it on their rounds. He was quick and silent like a ghost flitting through the trees with ease. He made it to her location fifty feet away in under ten seconds.

"This is going to be close," Sakura whispered through her leopard printed mask, "I've already lifted the genjutsu and the first watch is getting scolded, I'm hoping the others will be too preoccupied with them that we can sneak easily over and out of sight."

His red eyes gazed up at the outside wall, "The first watch has gone in. The replacements are near the left side by the tower talking to themselves. It's now or never."

"Go."

Takeshi led; covered in black from head to toe Sakura definitely wouldn't have been able to see him if it weren't for the twin ninjataos strapped to his back. They scaled the wall quickly and silently and left the manor in the fading moonlight.

"If every mission were this easy I think I'd get bored fast," Takeshi commented as they continued running.

"Be grateful for these missions Takeshi. Not all of them will be easy."

He sighed, "I know Kaa-san. I'm just saying a little excitement is a good thing."

She sighed again but couldn't really argue. Every once in a while it was nice to get into a decent scuffle. It kept her prepared and sharp. Although she would rather avoid them in favor of keeping her son as safe as she could. If she lost him on a mission that was too dangerous…well she didn't want to think about what would happen to her or her psyche.

He was the only person she had left in the world. She didn't have family, she didn't have friends, and her team was gone. Nobody had ever come to look for her. Moving around as much as she made them do was for the sole reason to keep Konoha off her trail. She didn't want to be brought back into a damning situation. She didn't think that she could take the stares and whispers that all the villagers would participate in. But at the same time…she put these counter measures in place believing that she would have to use them. She truly thought that at least Naruto would come looking for her. But no one came. It almost made her feel foolish for being so paranoid about being found because apparently nobody cared that she was gone. The false accusations laid against her were clearly convincing enough for everyone to abandon her. And that thought hurt more than she thought it would. It didn't help that she missed her home village…it confused her that she could wish to never to set foot in there but at the same time, miss that place with a passion that almost rivaled her love for her son.

"We'll reach the nearest town in about an hour, we can bunk down there then proceed back in the morning," Takeshi called out to her.

"Hai, sounds good to me."

* * *

Naruto sat quietly contemplating his next move. It wasn't often that the Rokudaime Hokage was silent but today was one of those days. He was seated at his desk, the same desk that had belonged to all the Kages before him. Honestly with Tsunade's temper he was surprised that the desk has never been broken. But he couldn't say the same for the chair, which had definitely sailed through the windows behind him on more than on one occasion. The last time he saw it flying was after he found out about Sakura-chan.

_Sakura-chan…_ he thought sullenly to himself, _Where are you? Are you alright? Are you safe? How's your little baby?_

If there was one thing that never failed to wipe the bright smile off of his face, it was thinking about his pink haired teammate. He was out on a mission with Kakashi when she left. And when they reported back Tsunade immediately ordered them to get Sasuke and head to a small motel on the western side of the village. When they asked why she said it was to find Sakura and bring her back. Immediately Naruto demanded to know why his teammate was gone in the first place, thinking that she had been kidnapped or something to that regard. But Tsunade wouldn't tell them anything so they found Sasuke and tried to pry the information out of him.

xXxXx

"_You must have just gotten back if you haven't heard yet," Sasuke intoned dryly as they ran to the motel._

"_Heard what teme?! Tell me!" Naruto demanded._

_Sasuke sighed, his eyes losing their impassive glow, "Sakura…she's been accused of cheating on my brother…"_

_Kakashi and Naruto's eyes both widened at that statement._

"_WHAT?!"_

"_Not so loud dobe!"_

"_Who said that?! Who accused her of that?! Sakura-chan would never do anything like that!"_

"_Do you think I don't know that, you fucking idiot! But what are we supposed to think when her baby comes out brown instead of white?!"_

_That had Naruto stopping in his tracks with his two teammates stopping with him._

"_Sasuke, what do you mean?" Kakashi asked staring hard at the younger man._

_He growled running a hand through his hair, "I've been told that Sakura's baby was born with darker skin. Everyone in my clan has light skin and Sakura's family also has light skin, ergo everyone thinks she cheated on my brother. Even the Hokage thinks so…"_

_Kakashi's eyes narrowed even more but he didn't say anything else, just pondered over the situation._

"_She wouldn't do that," Naruto's voice was dark, "Sakura wouldn't just…cheat on him. She wouldn't even look at another man like that! Something happened to her baby! That's the only logical explanation for this. You know her teme, you know that Sakura would never betray your brother, just like she would never betray any of us!"_

"_What does Itachi have to say about all of this?" Kakashi asked._

"_He's holed himself up in his and Sakura's house and he's refusing to see anyone, eat anything, or speak at all. My Otou-san has been cleaning up everything."_

"_Cleaning up? What the hell does that mean?" Naruto demanded his eyes now taking on a red hue._

"_You don't want to know, so let's just find her."_

_Sasuke made to jump but Naruto grabbed him by the collar and shoved up against a nearby wall. The force of the slam sent spider cracks through the concrete. Sasuke saw stars for a few seconds before Naruto got in his face, "Answer the question, Sasuke."_

_Sasuke wanted to keep it a secret, but since the whole village knew it would only be a matter of time before Naruto found out. And it was probably better that he did hear it from him and not from some random villager…especially since his red Kyuubi eyes were showing._

"_My Otou-san…is not claiming the child and has hereby stripped Sakura of the Uchiha name. She is no longer my brother's wife."_

_Naruto's grip tightened considerably and his growl turned menacing. How could that stuck up bastard do that to his heart's sister?! Yes he could never get her to look his way or notice him as more than a friend but he valued her too much to let that destroy their great friendship. He knew that Itachi made Sakura happy, that he filled in the hole left wide open when her parents died. He also knew that she wanted to be a mother more than she ever wanted to be a kunoichi or even a medic. She wanted a family. He remembered her coming immediately to his apartment after Itachi proposed, she was ecstatic to finally have a family again and he was happy for her. But now all of that was gone…those damn Uchiha's had taken her dream away from her. _

"_Naruto calm yourself or I will have to restrain you," Kakashi warned as he pulled out the small square tag Jiraiya had given him. It was created to temporarily suppress Kyuubi's chakra which was bubbling dangerously beneath the surface just waiting to be let out._

"_I didn't want this Naruto," Sasuke spoke softly. Naruto looked up at the uncharacteristic soft tone his bastard of a teammate was using, "Once my Otou-san got wind of it from the hospital he took immediate action. I didn't even know until everything was already done. Then somehow the whole village found out and now you two are telling me she's gone."_

"_Why didn't you go see her or go after her?!" Naruto demanded slamming him against the wall for emphasis._

"_I didn't even know she was in labor the day before. Itachi and Sakura wanted to have a more private birthing without all the buzz from the village. You know that."_

"_Naruto let him go!" Kakashi ordered placing a firm hand on Naruto's arm._

_After another agonizing moment the blonde released him heaving a large heavy breath to stabilize his nerves. _

"_I was forbidden from seeing her," Sasuke bowed his head slightly ashamed, "I was placed under house arrest specifically so I couldn't go see her. I even had Uchiha guards around to make sure I didn't try to run."_

"_Your father is a complete ass," Naruto whispered harshly._

"_I know."_

"_Let's go, I don't like the look of sky. If it rains we will lose any scent that she may have left. And if she gave birth only a couple days ago she'll be weak," Kakashi took off with the other two following obediently behind him._

xXxXx

In all honesty Naruto had no idea if his sister was alive. She could have gotten caught in that rainstorm that hit them when they lost her trail. And if she did, with as weak as she was, and with only a two day old baby…no he couldn't think about it. She could not be dead, he wouldn't allow it. But once they lost her trail they returned and were barely making their report when Itachi stormed the office in a rage he had never seen him in before. It made his heart break into even smaller pieces seeing such a powerful shinobi look so broken. It was almost enough to make him smile knowing that Itachi believed that she was still faithful to him even though everyone else did not.

"Hokage-sama?"

Jolted quickly out of his thoughts he turned to see it was the Fire Daimyo's representative, Nakubaki Fuji, who addressed him.

"We're going to need an answer soon. His majesty is quite impatient as I'm sure you can understand."

Naruto's eyes instantly hardened as he thought back over the situation. The two youngest daughters of the Fire Daimyo have been kidnapped. A ransom note was delivered the next day stating that the kidnappers wanted ten million dollars in exchange for the girls. A response was sent via hawk that the kidnappers used saying that if the girls were harmed in any way then they wouldn't see a penny. The kidnappers also stated that if a shinobi from Konohagakure were to show up then they would instantly kill the girls. Not to mention that the price they were demanding would financially cripple the Capital.

"You're saying that the Daimyo doesn't have enough guards to spare to send them to retrieve his daughters?" Naruto asked blandly.

"The Capital only has enough to defend the city. None are ever sent out unless the Daimyo is leaving to go somewhere. And the guardians that were in charge of the girls have all been killed. And he can't leave and risk being killed. This is why we need your help."

"Are the men who stole the girls, shinobi themselves?" Naruto's right hand man and bodyguard asked. Sasuke stood to his right, face impassive as ever.

"Hai, the hawk they use to communicate is a summons."

"What village?"

"I don't understand?" the representative furrowed his brows.

"Typically a summons will bear the mark of a village that their summoner is from," Sasuke explained.

"Oh, we haven't noticed one, we're thinking that they are nuke-nin looking for a payout."

"That's the most likely explanation," Naruto spoke dryly, "But it doesn't help the problem that if a Konoha shinobi were to show up they would kill the girls."

"Isn't there someone that isn't as well known? Or send an ANBU squad to take them down," Nakubaki continued.

"No that is something they are expecting," Shikamaru droned leaning back in his chair, "We could hire out."

"Hire out?" the Rep asked, "What does that mean?"

"It means that Konohagakure could hire out a mercenary to rescue the girls," the Nara explained, "That way it could be seen as a third party reaping the benefits of such high ranking people rather than a rescue mission."

"That's true in theory but how can we find people who would rescue girls without seeming as though they are actually rescuing them. Or how can we guarantee that the people we hire won't try to turn a profit for themselves?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru shrugged, "We'd have to find someone. It'll be troublesome but it would keep Konoha out of it which is the point."

"But if Konoha is commissioning the order then they might kill the girls."

"No they said a Konoha shinobi is not allowed to be present in the exchange of money for the two girls. They never said the gentleman here couldn't come talk to us and seek advice. They also never said that we couldn't hire anyone. These nuke-nin are idiots…" Shikamaru drawled while rubbing his forehead, "So troublesome…"

"The main priority for the Daimyo is the safety of his girls. If you end up hiring someone please make sure that the girls will be safe with them," Nakubaki bowed respectfully.

Naruto smiled lightly, "Don't worry Nakubaki-san rest assured we will deal with the situation. We will be in contact."

"Arigato Hokage-sama." With another bow the Fire Rep left.

"Shikamaru is there anyone that comes to mind who would be a good candidate for the job?" Naruto asked putting his head in his hands. He could feel a headache coming on.

"Not particularly. I'll go check with Kakashi at ANBU HQ, maybe he'll know someone."

Without another word the lazy genius left the office.

"You were thinking about her again weren't you?"

Naruto looked up to see Sasuke staring at him, "How could you tell?"

"Your chakra gets hazy. It gives off a forlorn feeling. But your face is most telling, especially your eyes. You need a better poker face."

"Shut up teme, you can't say you don't think about her too."

"Not as much as you," Sasuke went to lean against the window, "Sometimes I think she didn't even survive the rain. We haven't had a single report of large healings, unnatural strength, or even her pink hair. We would've found her if she settled down, she hates constant traveling. But nothing…not even a whisper."

"Do you really think she's actually dead?" Naruto asked before joining his best friend at the window, "She's always been strong. And I can't see her just giving up, not when she had a little baby to look after. And after all these years…not a single piece of communication."

They stayed silent for another moment both lost in their own dark emotions. Sasuke would never admit it but he missed his annoying teammate. After she outgrew her infatuation with him, Sasuke grew to respect her quick wit, never ending intelligence, and her tendency to mother the team to kingdom come. Granted Naruto and Sasuke were very protective of her as well as Kakashi but after her training with Tsunade she changed and Sasuke liked the change. She was more confident and it made their team stronger.

But more than that he liked the effect she had on his brother. Itachi…the stuck up, unemotional, stubborn, prodigal Uchiha had fallen hard for his teammate. She had thoroughly changed him. Sasuke couldn't remember the last time his brother smiled until Sakura came into his life. She made him human again instead of just a walking, killing machine.

"How could your brother get married again?" Naruto asked his head rested against the window.

"It wasn't his choice. He was still the clan heir, there are certain…expectations that he was supposed to meet."

"Still…"

"Not to be harsh Naruto," Sasuke nudged him on the arm, "You're not from a clan so you can't understand what I'm really talking about."

The blonde Hokage frowned at the comment but knew Sasuke meant no offense. It was true, Naruto couldn't really see why. What really got his blood boiling was that Itachi got married only a month after Sakura had left. That made him angrier than ever. It helped knowing that it wasn't by choice but still…he believed that anyone should marry whomever they love. Just like him and Hinata. But of course, their courtship and marriage wasn't without incident either.

"Yo Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi called out as he opened the door.

"Oi Kakashi," Naruto turned with a small smile as he greeted his sensei. He was definitely one of the people who was on a strict "don't call me Hokage" terms with. But that was only in private; in public or in important meetings Naruto had to deal with the formality.

"I have an idea for you," their perverted sensei pulled out a scroll.

"About the Daimyo's girls?" Sasuke asked.

"Hai, it's a two man mercenary squad. Not much is known about their origins except they hold no previous loyalty or affiliation with any of the Five Great Nations. Speculation supports that they were probably born to wandering shinobi. They accept a variety of missions including item retrieval, rescue missions, some assassination missions. But they seem to live by a code of ethics similar to the shinobi villages. They will be ideal if we can get them to agree. I even have a report of them overthrowing a corrupt monarch abusing his people, and they did it for free."

"Have they worked for other villages?" Naruto asked retaking his seat.

"Only the small ones according to my reports. We would be the first large village to commission them," Kakashi stated handing the scroll to his former student.

"Have they worked in Fire before?" he asked opening the scroll to read through the notes.

"I have no reports stating that they have. They seem to be commissioned to go everywhere else."

"So they would be unfamiliar with our territory," Sasuke said, "That would make things difficult if we have to show them around."

Naruto shrugged, "Not our fault they have never been commissioned in Fire Country. Or maybe they don't want to work in here. Either way pulling large and risky missions for free seems to speak for itself. They are definitely an odd sort of pair for mercenaries."

"Their record is pretty flawless, probably from being partners for so long," Kakashi rounded to desk to lean against the windows, "In any case your options won't get better than them."

Naruto nodded, "The Twin Cats. That's what they call themselves?"

"Hai, I think one is Panther and the other is Leopard. They never use their real names so it's the best we have to go by."

Naruto turned around in his chair looking at both of his trusted comrades, "Find them and bring them to me."

* * *

"Aaaaaah," Sakura moaned lightly as she sunk into the warm hot spring, "This is exactly what I've been missing."

After delivering the dagger to their employer and getting their paycheck Sakura was determined to be spoiled the rest of the weekend. After all today was her birthday. So she insisted that they travel to Hot Water Country in order to soak in the most delicious hot springs found in the entire world. And oh what a good idea she had. Pampering to the extreme was in order. After she was finished soaking she was going to pay for a massage then her son was treating her to a nice dinner. It's all she wanted for her birthday when he asked her, one nice dinner. She hardly had the excuse to dress up anymore. They never attended festivals, they didn't belong to a nobleman where formal dress was required. If anything dressing up nowadays was more of a privilege than anything. Which was weird considering as the Uchiha Matriarch she was required to be in her best dress at the weekly clan meetings.

_Itachi…_

Emerald eyes opened to stare at the blue expanse above her. It was slightly hazy due to the steam rising from the hot spring but the sky was still as blue as could be. And thinking about that blue sky led Sakura into a memory…a memory about the first time she met her true love…a memory that took place on a beautiful day such as this.

xXxXx

_Sakura walked into the hospital room to check on her patient. He had just come out of intensive surgery that almost took his life a day ago. But with her and the other medic-nins working on him, he pulled through. The Uchiha clan will be pleased to hear that their heir will survive. _

"_Good morning Uchiha-san," she said cheerily. It pleased her to see him awake even though he was lying prone on the bed, "How are you feeling today?"_

"_Fine," he whispered in reply._

"_Good to hear. You suffered extensive injuries but we were able to fix everything. I'd say you'll be fit to leave in a couple days. Then after that it's strict no training until your body recuperates fully. During that time you'll come to the hospital for checkups done by myself and ONLY after I have cleared you for duty may you train. Is that clear?"_

_Itachi didn't answer her question merely looked away, "How bad was it?"_

_Sakura sighed. She hated when patients would ask that question. She would rather focus on the fact that they are alive rather than how close they came to death, "It was close. Your heart stopped once while we were piecing your arteries back together. You had a blood transfusion which so far is agreeing with you. Several broken bones were healed which is why you can't train yet. It was close but a lot of good people put in a lot of effort to save you."_

"_You shouldn't have bothered."_

_Her eyes widened at that statement. _What did he just say? _She honestly couldn't believe her ears. He didn't want to be saved?_

"_Excuse me? Why would you say such a thing?"_

_Itachi turned his head back towards her with the same blank expression as before, "I'm a shinobi Doctor. My life is not mine to live. We serve the Hokage doing whatever he or she may ask of us. With such severe injuries sustained from my mission it was foolish of you and the other medics to waste so much time on me. If I die then I die. My life is nothing more than a tool for this village."_

_He never could've anticipated what happened next. Sakura slapped him. Yes she slapped a recovering patient while he was still weak and lying prone in his bed, but really could you blame her after hearing that despicable speech._

"_Shame on you," she growled while fixing him with an irritated glare, "You are not a tool, you are a human being. Human beings have the right to live, enemy or ally. Do you think the Hokage sends whoever she damn well pleases on missions? No! She sends who she thinks would be the best team for the job required. Yes, sometimes shit hits the fan and things end up worse and your life may be taken, but your Hokage would never send you anywhere to die. How can you even think that way? Have you no regard for your own life, your own choices?"_

"_My choices have never been my own," he replied his tone becoming harsh, "I live to serve. That is all."_

"_What a pathetic excuse for a life," her bitterness now replaced with pity, "What good is being a shinobi if you can't even tell right from wrong, if you don't have even a small sense of humanity? How can you make the best decision in the field if you cannot think for yourself? It seems to me Uchiha-san that you need to reevaluate your life, and why, at this point in time, you were allowed to live."_

xXxXx

Sakura opened her eyes, she could feel her face becoming flushed so she exited the pool wrapping a towel firmly around her chest. Glancing at the clock she noticed that she had spent longer dozing in the spring than she intended…her massage will have to wait for another time. Oh well, her nap felt nice.

She met up with her son at their hotel room, he was already dressed and ready to go out.

"Took you long enough woman," he jibed with a large smile on his face.

"Oi…" she pouted with her hands on her hips, "I was enjoying myself. After all it is my birthday."

"Hai, hai. Just hurry and get dressed I don't want the place to get full before we get there."

"Ooooo," she smiled grabbing her kimono, "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise like always."

Sakura stuck her tongue out then went into their small bathroom to change. They may be partners but they were still mother and son, she didn't want to make him uncomfortable seeing his mother scarcely dressed. Luckily the one kimono she bought was not one that required a lot of layers and the obi was one that a single person could tie. Her kimono was a beautiful dark red with black velvet lining held together with gold swirls and stitching. The obi was matching black velvet with golden swirls. Sakura had gotten it for great deal at a second hand store. The previous owner had ripped it and instead of paying a seamstress to fix the hole they decided to trash it and buy a new one. Sakura instantly fell in love with the piece and the owner gave it to her for half off what it's worth because of the rip. Being a decent seamstress she patched it up and now it was as good as new. She even had money to spend on buying matching jewelry at a local jewelry store. She wrapped her hair up into a loose bun and added her red and gold floral hair pin making sure to secure it tightly. Next she clipped on her matching necklace and then applied a light amount of makeup. Performing a quick henge her hair changed color to a dirty blonde. After all it had become a habit to where such a disguise when out in public for sixteen years. Takeshi had only seen her hair its natural pink a few times in his life.

"Alright I'm ready, let's go."

Takeshi turned from surveying the street below and smiled; _Kaa-san always knows how to dress up._

As always she looked beautiful and he enjoyed taking his mother out on occasions like this. It was the one day a year where she seemed to completely relax and let herself go. He loved it. Every other day of the year she was always stressed or thinking about one thing or another; her mind never seemed to stop…except for tonight.

"Takeshi! What are you doing?" Sakura gasped as he stopped in front of their restaurant.

"What," he smiled cheekily, "It's the specialty in this part of the world. And as of yet we've never been."

"There's a good reason too it's way too pricey."

"Kaa-san," he turned and faced her seriously, "This is the one day that I really get to treat you to something nice. It's the only thing you ever ask for. Please let me just…let me just do this one small thing for you. Please."

She knew she couldn't refuse him. For one whenever he looked at her with those dashing forest green eyes that hidden slightly behind gorgeous raven hair, like this father, and they penetrated into her very soul…she was caught. And he was being so sincere. Takeshi was right, Sakura only ever asked for a nice dinner for her birthday. She just didn't figure that he would spend his entire paycheck on one dinner. But he was being insistent and she didn't want to break his heart.

"Alright Take-kun. I'm sorry."

"Tch…don't apologize and smile it's your birthday. Without you I wouldn't even be here."

Sakura smiled at that comment as they made their way into the restaurant. It was Hot Spring's famous steak house, House of Drake. Inside they were seated in a booth that overlooked the main dining room where waiters walked around with meat on a large skewer cutting fresh slices for all the guests.

"Good evening and welcome to House of Drake, my name is Yaolin and I will be your waitress for this evening," a petite young woman bowed at the table, "May I start you off with something to drink?"

"Water will be fine please," Sakura said politely.

"We'll also have a bottle of Zinfandel," Takeshi smirked lightly at the waitress making her blush, "And two house salads before the meat."

"Yes sir, coming right up."

Sakura tried to resist rolling her eyes but failed. Her son didn't even realize when he was making women fall all over themselves for him. Had they stayed in Konoha he would have had every woman his age and then some crawling on hands and knees to get his attention. Sakura could just picture his fangirl club and her little Takeshi doing everything in his power to ignore them. Of course Sakura would save him from the adorations of the young girls, after all she knew what it was like to be rejected over puppy love, but then on occasion she would have fed him to the wolves.

"When you look at me like that I get a funny feeling in my spine making me think you're planning something wicked," Takeshi commented.

Sakura only shrugged lazily, "I was just thinking about how easy it is for you to get any woman you want. All you had to do is look at that poor girl…"

"Tch. It's not my fault and if I had a choice I would put warts and crap all over my face just so they'd not look at me like that anymore," he folded his arms rather grumpily.

"You wouldn't last one day with warts and crap all over your face. You like yourself too much for that," she smiled brightly, "Besides I don't even know if I could look at you if you were that ugly."

His face fell lightly, "What happened to a mother's love huh? Are you saying you couldn't love me if I was ugly?"

Sakura bristled, "Oi baka! Now you're putting words in my mouth! Don't you dare play on my love for you, you silly boy."

He smiled again making his mother bristle even more knowing that he was playing with her emotions. He knew exactly what buttons to push and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

"Here's the wine and two glasses," Yaolin popped open the bottle and poured their drinks. She then placed the bottle on ice and set it and two glasses of water on their table, "Salads will be out soon. Here is the turner. Red side up means no meat service, green side means they meat servers will stop at your table."

Sakura reached for her wine glass and took a sip reveling in the taste, "Nice selection."

"I know your favorites. I'm not blind."

"Wasn't saying you were merely just saying you have a fine taste in wine."

He chuckled, "I know you prefer the sweeter drink on occasion. I also know you only drink sake on my birthday and you drink the strong shit too because if you don't, then there's no way you'd be able to get wasted because you have such a high tolerance for that stuff."

"You can blame my shishou if you ever get to meet her," Sakura swirled her wine glass, "She's the one that started me drinking at a young age. Trust me I needed it with the hell she put me through."

"I'm probably never going to meet her so it's a moot point."

"Now that you said that you've just jinxed our luck."

"Hardly," he took a sip of wine, "We've never accepted a mission that took us into Fire Country for the sole reason wouldn't get recognized and confronted with your past." Sakura nodded. "You've even changed your fighting style to stay completely under the radar, which is impressive. And if we keep up with that then it's logical to say that the likelihood of running into a Konoha shinobi is relatively slim. And not to be harsh but nobody has come looking for us…"

"I know Takeshi," they paused as the waitress set their salads in front of them as well as their meat plates and utensils, "Actually there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

He motioned for her to continue as he started to eat.

"I'm thirty-five now and-"

"Whoa, stop right there," he held his hands up a playful smirk on his face, "Did you just admit your age?"

Sakura's face turned deadly with a hint a lightheartedness, "Don't even go there young man. It's my birthday."

"Sorry but you totally left yourself open for that one," he continued to smile.

"You know if we weren't in such a nice place with lots of witnesses and my favorite kimono, you would be in for a world of hurt."

He winked, "Exactly why I took the opportunity."

She merely glared and forked her salad a little harsher, "As I was saying…I'm thirty-five now and believe it or not I will keep getting older. And despite how young I'll look, thanks to another one of Tsunade-shishou's jutsus, it's going to be harder for me to travel as much as we're used to."

Takeshi nodded, "I understand. Have you thought about a place that you would want to settle at?"

"No…not yet. It's still a long time coming anyway but, what I want to know is if you would be ok settling down. I know that our life hasn't been very steady; moving around and looking for whatever work we can. But if we do settle we can try maybe a small shinobi village so you can still work and be active."

"But you're forgetting something Kaa-san, I have the sharingan."

"I haven't forgotten."

"Well according to you, my bloodline belongs to Konoha. If another village comes into possession of it then it's bad news for them. But honestly…I don't mind traveling. I've seen a lot of this world because of our lifestyle and I'm grateful for it. I'm not sure if I'm ready to give it up just yet, but maybe some time in the future I'll think about settling."

Sakura reached across the table and grabbed her son's hand, "You know that all I've ever wanted was to make you happy right Takeshi? I love you, you're my son, and I want you to be happy with your life whatever you choose."

"I know Kaa-san, I'm very grateful to have a mother like you," he lifted her hand and kissed it.

Sakura smiled, "My son the charmer. It is too bad all your good manners are wasted on me though. You'd make one girl the happiest lady in existence."

He groaned, "We are not talking about that tonight…not the woman talk."

Sakura chuckled and flipped their meat server over to green, "Surely you've noticed women by now Takeshi. I was sixteen once and I remember how crazy the hormones were…"

"No stop please, for the love of all that is holy in this world, we will not talk about this," he started begging.

"I was seventeen when I married your father you know."

"Please Kaa-san no more."

She sighed lightly, now she was just teasing him. She loved taking advantage of his bashful nature, "You know you can only go so long until those more carnal urges begin to take over. And trust me it's better if it's with a girl you know rather than a one night stand…or even your hand."

"Sir, Ma'dam, would you like you try the sirloin this evening?" a meat waiter walked up with a fresh skewer of meat.

"Oh yes please!" Sakura smiled excitedly and she grabbed her tongs to take the slice of meat he was cutting off.

Takeshi sighed, that waiter was God-sent. He didn't know how long he could've lasted with the direction his mother was taking the conversation. But he also knew he had to think seriously about what she was saying. She may think she fooled him by saying she didn't want to settle down yet, but he knew better. It had become obvious that his mother wanted a place to call home. But she kept on the move all for him. He didn't mind traveling and he loved seeing the world. He met his kenjutsu sensei while traveling and he met many other people he could call friends on their journeys to other countries. He didn't know a different way of life…to be tied down in one village answering the call of another person…he didn't think he could handle that.

He was his own man, his own person, and the only person he was strictly loyal to, was his mother. Out here he and his mother were the only ones calling the shots. They were in control of their own lives and destinies. But even he knew that this life was abnormal. And he knew that the typical people in this life were nuke-nin, traitors to their villages. And there was always that phrase his mother used "if we had stayed in Konoha". That phrase told him that his mother missed her home and she only left to avoid ridicule. She left to protect him from being subjected to anger and hurt. He was proud to call her his mother, she was the bravest person he knew. She gave up everything she loved, her village, her friends, her career, in order to protect him and he was grateful.

So maybe when the time came he could settle down for her, that way in her final days she could be somewhere that she could call home. Some place where she could be at peace. Yes, after everything she had done for him, it was the least he could do for her.

* * *

"Are we almost there?" Sasuke asked irritably as he trailed behind Kakashi and Kiba.

"Hot Springs village is only four hours away, this trail is relatively fresh which means we could get lucky and they will still be there," Kiba commented from the front. Akamaru barked backing up his statement.

"Isn't it at all suspicious with how much they move around?" Tenten asked from behind Sasuke.

"Not really," Kakashi answered, "They are mercenaries meaning they have to go where the work is. And since we're heading to Hot Springs and their previous employer stated they just finished a job my guess is that they are taking a breather."

"Man I wish we could stay at a hot springs while we're here," Kiba grumbled.

"Hn. Let's just find them so we can get back," Sasuke said and the group pushed forward.

* * *

Sakura and Takeshi were running through Hot Water's forest heading to Waterfall. Sakura hit up a bar after their nice evening to get the scoop on anyone hiring. This city, luckily, had a small pub that only allowed shinobi inside to drink. As such they kept a current list of employers from around the country and neighboring countries of people looking for rouge shinobi to do some work. Sakura perused the list and figured the one in Grass looked quite simple yet challenging at the same time. The barman's scout brought it back a couple nights ago. It was an A-rank assassination, business to business. It would give Takeshi the action he was looking for considering both men were likely to have body guards.

So after a lazy morning and a hardy breakfast the duo donned their typical Cat gear and took off northwest to Waterfall. Sakura wasn't too fond of passing through Sound…too many bad memories but it was better than running into an ANBU border patrol in Fire. And if they did run into Sound shinobi then she could unleash some long overdue payback.

They were traveling at a leisurely pace, the job was open to the public meaning that any shinobi could bid for it. They didn't want to expend too much energy to get somewhere only to be turned down and have to look elsewhere for work. It had happened before and they learned their lessons the first time.

"Kaa-san."

"I feel it Take-kun," Sakura said glancing slightly behind her, "We're being followed."

He nodded. He thought it odd that their pursuers weren't trying to hide their chakra at all as if they were…confident? Or maybe they didn't know exactly where they were? No that couldn't be right, they were following them too easily not to know.

"Dual Defense?" he asked pulling his mask tighter around his face and drawing his twin ninjatao.

"Hai, let's see what they hell they want. Code words from here on out. I've manipulated my chakra enough that I shouldn't be recognized if it's shinobi we know. But in any case you talk if we're cornered. And don't take any risks," Sakura ordered.

"Hai Leopard, on three we break."

In an instant the two cats split their traveling formation and each made a clone as per the defensive formation. The two clones stood in a ready position directly in front of the path of the group following them, while the real bodies hid in the brush and lowered their chakra levels, disappearing into the forest. It was a typical formation for them and one that worked quite well for pursuing groups. Then they waited until the group appeared and stopped a few feet from the two clones, who were both poised and ready to attack.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat as she recognized everyone in that group. She couldn't believe it…Tenten was here, and Kiba with his beast Akamaru…Kaka-sensei still looked the same as he did sixteen years ago, does that man never age? And last but not least…Sasuke-kun…

_Oh Kami-sama…why them…why now?_

"Who are you and why are you following us?" the Takeshi clone demanded.

Kakashi held his hands up in a show of trust and took the lead, "We mean you no harm. We are shinobi of Konohagakure and we've come as representatives of our Hokage. We would like to commission your services."

Sakura's heart clenched at Kakashi's answer, _So they weren't looking for me._ She didn't know if she should feel happy or sad at that prospect. It had been sixteen years and if they weren't looking for her now…then they had probably given up years ago. She wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that. It was her goal to hide her trail because she wanted to disappear but there was a small part of her that was sure that even after all her efforts, she would be found by those she loved and trusted. But that was evidently not the case. They never found her…and they didn't care. Shaking herself away from those thoughts, she tapped on her radio head and communicated to her son exactly who they were. He needed to know what they were up against.

"You're a shinobi village, why the hell would you need to hire mercenaries like us?" The Panther clone asked tightening his grip on his swords.

Sasuke eyed the two suspiciously…something didn't seem quite right with them. Why would they wait out in the open for them? Granted his team didn't hide their chakra signatures knowing, or rather hoping, that the two shinobi would feel them and not be alarmed by their appearance. It was sheer dumb luck, Sasuke thought, that Kiba caught their scent before they reached the Hot Springs village. It had cut probably three hours out of their search. And luckily they caught up with the duo as they were obviously heading out to find a job. But still something was off.

"It's a diplomatic issue and as shinobi from Konoha we are not able to handle the situation as we normally would. This is why we want to commission your services," Kakashi answered hands still up in the air.

The clones glanced at one another staying silent while contemplating the offer and waiting for orders from their real bodies.

"It's considered rude not to talk to people in person," Sasuke cut in his red eyes shining, "Why don't you disperse your clones and speak with us face to face. As the Rokudaime Hokage's right hand man, I can personally vouch that we mean no harm and we will not attack unless provoked."

"**Damn," **Takeshi cursed over the radio quietly,** "How did he know?"**

"He's an Uchiha, Takeshi, and just like you can see through clones, so can he," Sakura answered quietly, "I really do believe they mean us no harm. Let's meet them."

"**Are you sure?"**

"Hai," she sighed, "You do all the talking."

"**Roger."**

In two puffs of smoke the clones straightened before disappearing. The Konoha contingent glanced around looking for the two real bodies, sensing them close by.

"Impressive Uchiha, many people can't typically tell between our clones and the real bodies."

An obviously masculine form appeared to their left, dressed in pure unbleached black from head to toe with a satin black mask covering his eyes making them impossible to discern. His twin ninjatao were sheathed on his back which made the Konoha shinobi relax. He was taking them at their word of peace. Another small rustle and the four turned their heads to see a smaller form land gracefully. The other was dressed in all black except the mask was a golden leopard print color.

"The Twin Cats are a shinobi and kunoichi team," Kiba commented offhandedly, "Impressive."

"Do not underestimate us," Takeshi lowered his voice threateningly, "Now speak or be gone."

Kakashi took over again lowering his hands and resume his trademark slouch. To Sakura it was almost nostalgic. "Like I said before, we're here to commission your services. The Land of Fire has been put in a difficult spot. Unfortunately the details of the mission are so delicate they should not be discussed in the open. But know that the Daimyo of Fire is commissioning this mission through Konoha; the pay would be very nice. Nice enough to spend a week in Hot Springs."

Sakura smirked underneath her mask, Kakashi knew how to speak well to mercenaries, that is if they were the typical power hungry, money gobblers.

"You think that appealing to my wallet will get me and my partner to accept this mission. Clearly your research on us is incomplete if you think mere price can buy our services," Takeshi growled reaching for his kunai pouch.

Kakashi sighed, "I meant no offense with those words. I was merely stating fact."

"What doesn't make sense is this, why is Konoha commissioning us and not the Fire Daimyo?" Takeshi asked but Sakura already knew that answer.

"The Daimyo is not allowed to commission shinobi for work. That is what our village is for. If he has a problem that needs to be taken care of he goes through our village. But due to the delicate circumstances of the operation and the specific guidelines given we have opted to hire out this mission. Will you accept?"

Silence reigned in the forest as neither side spoke. Takeshi shot a look up at Sakura before extending his hand to her right. Immediately Sakura and Takeshi moved and they stood in front of the Konoha squad to converse in silence. Sakura stood close to her son to tap Morse Code on his shoulder while he did the same on the back of her arm.

_No it's too risky,_ Takeshi tapped, _and we'd be right in the lion's den. _

_**This is commissioned from the Daimyo, obviously this is a serious issue. And since Konoha isn't handling it then the demands are strict. We'd probably be playing a decoy,**_ Sakura answered.

_How can you be so calm about this?_

_**We're not talking about that right now.**_

_Maybe we should. You're the reason we never go into Fire._

Sasuke studied the two again eyes narrowed once more. They were clever, using a type of nonverbal communication and keeping it out of their line of sight so they couldn't read it. Not to mention that underneath a similar mask that Kakashi wore their lips weren't moving. They knew how to stay off the radar, and they were extremely cautious. It was probably why they were so successful. But there was something that...he just couldn't place the feeling.

He took a couple steps forward towards Kakashi, "They're too close to be just partners," he whispered making sure his hair covered his lips.

"Hmmm, lovers?" Kakashi asked quietly.

"Maybe…it's hard to tell. They're definitely close and they trust each other implicitly. Look at their body language and how they are standing. Lovers would not keep such a safe distance."

"Unless they were trying to hide it. I can't get a firm fix on the female's chakra signature and that raises suspicion," Kakashi mused studying the Leopard partner, "Someone who has that much chakra control is rare."

Sasuke paused glancing at the woman then back at Kakashi, "…You don't think?"

"No it's not her, Sakura smells different."

It was nice not having to explain such frivolous things to Kakashi. But maybe just for a moment Sasuke wished that Sakura would appear…that he could find her and bring her home. Back to Naruto, back to him and Kakashi…back to Itachi…

"Are you two done talking or not talking yet?" Kiba asked folding his arms impatiently.

Takeshi's eyes narrowed, not that they could tell with his mask, "Apparently common courtesy runs low in Konoha."

"Oi! It was just a question!"

"Kiba leave it alone," Kakashi ordered in a soft but commanding tone, "They can deliberate if they so desire. This is a voluntary mission for them after all."

_Kaa-san I'm not putting you in danger with your home village_¸ Takeshi continued to tap, _They don't know it's you and if that dog and the leader can't detect you then…_

_**I know but…but it's hard to turn my back. They came to seek us out and they wouldn't unless they had no other choice. Old habits obvious die hard Take-kun…I still want to protect my village, but I think we should do it regardless of my feelings. It's the right thing to do and that's what we always strive for. Besides, it guarantees not to be boring. **_

_Then I'm to do all the talking. You are not to do anything to give away who you are. I won't put you under more ridicule or any danger during this whole ordeal. Can you agree to that?_

Sakura sighed internally, _**I agree.**_

Takeshi looked at her for a long time and saw the acceptance and resolve in her eyes. He nodded once.

"We accept your offer."

* * *

**As always please review! Do you like where the story is headed?**

**Picture of Sakura's kimono used to be on deviantart but the artist had it taken down *sniff sniff* so sorry about no pic.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand chapter 3. I know...i know...other chapters to other stories are coming soon. I'm just on a roll with this one.**

* * *

Takeshi was sure that he had never been so tense in his entire life. His entire body vibrated from the stress of the situation. They were just coming up to Konoha…his mother's home village…the one village he swore to despise for his entire life. Never in his life did he want to come here. He had no desire to look upon the great village that had scorned his mother and left her for dead. Even though she still harbored a deep love for her village, Takeshi was determined to feel no such kinship.

After agreeing to the mission the two groups agreed that they should travel separately to Konoha. Kakashi provided passes for them to pass Konoha's borders without incident. He then instructed that he and Sasuke would be present at the main gates at noon five days from now. That gave the Twin Cat team two days before following. And in those two days Takeshi drilled his mother until he knew everything that he needed to know about Konoha. Sakura was surprisingly forthcoming about Konoha considering since he was a child she only talked about it when he asked for bedtime stories. And he hadn't asked for bedtime stories since his sharingan activated at six years old.

The next thing they went over were people. He wanted to know about every important figure in the village. And while Sakura had not kept up with the happenings of her village, it was too painful for her listen about Konoha while not be there living it, she still knew enough to give her son a general picture.

xXxXx

"_Alright first off I'll start with the team that came to meet us. Just keep in mind some things will have obviously changed so expect the unexpected and look underneath and underneath," Sakura sat cross-legged on her hotel bed across from Takeshi, "The leader of the group was my former sensei Hatake Kakashi, child prodigy and infamous Copy Ninja. He's former ANBU elite and captain and his left eye holds the sharingan. Don't ask, that story is a long one and not for now. He's sneaky and deceptive to the max, everything I know about evasive maneuvering and misdirection I've learned from him." Takeshi nodded in understanding. "The second, who claimed himself as the Hokage's right hand man, was Uchiha Sasuke. He was a member of my Genin team and my…first crush. And before you ask no, he's not your father. Sasuke is classified as a Sannin like me and Naruto. He studied under Orochimaru so while knowing a large amount of questionable jutsu, he's also very adept at regular jutsu. He's a fire and lightning user and his ninjutsu is his main form of fighting. But he's also skilled in kenjutsu._

"_The next one on the team was Inuzuka Kiba and his bonded partner Akamaru. He's a brash person who attacks first and asks questions later. All attacks will be with his dog and they are fierce and animalistic and one of the best trackers Konoha has ever produced. Tenten is a weapons mistress and can wield just about anything. Her precision is flawless so if she misses you it's almost on purpose. You will have to anticipate in order to dodge everything. The next important figure that you need to know is Naruto, my other teammate. He was trained by Jiraiya and also knows senjutsu which is-"_

"_Sage arts," Takeshi answered for her._

_Sakura nodded with a small smile, "Hai, he's also…Kami I don't know if I should tell you this…"_

"_Just spill it. Who am I gonna tell?"_

_Sakura stared at him sternly, "What I'm about to say cannot be told to others. Do you understand? Not even everyone in Konoha knows this information…at least many people our age and younger don't know."_

"_Then why do you?"_

"_Because I was on his team and witnessed it," Sakura sighed running a frustrated hand through her hair, "Naruto is the jinchurikki for the Kyuubi. I've seen him use that power…it's frightening and beautiful wrapped into one."_

_Takeshi took a deep breath and steadily let it out. This was big news._

"_If I had to venture a guess Naruto is also the Hokage," Sakura continued in a subdued voice, "Sasuke said he was the Hokage's right hand man. There's only one person in the world Sasuke would ever work for and that's Naruto. Those two are as thick as thieves. It's another reason why I said to accept this mission, Naruto trusted Sasuke and Kakashi to bring him the best. I used to be that type of trusted person…but not anymore…"_

_Takeshi's gaze softened as he watched her wipe silent tears from her eyes, "Kaa-san…I'm sorry for this."_

"_Don't be," she looked up smiling sadly, "It was my choice. I forced you to accept. You must think I'm an idiot for wanting to help my village but…I lived my entire former life doing so. It's not something I can just turn off. I love my village and I always will. And despite their desertion I still love my team…and my friends…and…"_

_He pulled her close so she could cry into his chest. He knew she was about to say she still loved his father. Takeshi would never understand how she could still love them, and he would honestly be confused about her continued feelings if he hadn't witnessed her loving side first hand. It honestly seemed his mother was incapable of hating anything or anyone. It just wasn't in her nature. _

"_Tell me more Kaa-san…we're going to Konoha…I need…" he took a deep breath, "I need to know his name."_

_Sakura's tears still streamed down her cheeks as she raised her head and looked him dead in the eye, "You've never wanted to know before."_

_He nodded solemnly, "I know…but the situation has changed. I need to know more than want to know."_

_She studied him for a moment longer…unsure how she should actually approach this situation. When he was younger she hadn't had the courage to say his name…the betrayal was still too fresh. Then she had asked him when he was older if he wanted to know and he had told her no, he wasn't interested in knowing who his father was. But that was then and this is now. The situation was different. _

"_Your father's name…" she started staring him straight in the eye, "Is Uchiha…Itachi."_

_Takeshi's eyes widened, he couldn't believe it…his father was _the_ Uchiha prodigy, "Uchiha Itachi…the S-class ANBU Captain who is in every single Bingo Book in the world?"_

_Sakura stayed serious, "The very same."_

xXxXx

He could admit that he did not see that coming. But in a sense it explained his early activation of the sharingan as his ability to pick up training routines quickly. His mother explained, using the typical phrase "had we stayed in Konoha", that he would have been considered a prodigy by the clan and other ninjas with how quickly he grasped difficult concepts.

After overcoming his shock Sakura had continued to give him the rundown of other important knew everyone in the Konoha 12, each of their sensei's, the former government officials that might still be in some type of control, as well as the prominent members of each of the clans. Granted he had a lot of names but the real test wouldn't come until he put the faces with the names.

The large green gates came into view and Sakura's breath hitched. It had been sixteen years since she saw those large gates. Sixteen years since she has set a single step inside the place where she was born. Sixteen years…and she still wasn't coming home to stay. That thought almost made her fall to the ground, the heartache was weighing heavily on her.

"Leopard."

Sakura glanced up at her partner.

"I know how hard this must be for you, but…"

"Panther, you don't need to say it. I'm following your lead completely on this."

He nodded once glad that she was at least wary of her own reactions and was not going to do anything to compromise her cover.

"G.N.R., remember?" Sakura glanced up at him.

"Hai I remember."

As he grew up and went on missions with his mother they had started to develop a code. They used short phrases or acronyms that took seconds to say but communicated simple and concise instructions between the partners. G.N.R. simply meant "green, no red" meaning under no circumstances was he to activate his sharingan.

They approached the gate and could see two figures waiting for them. Sakura had assumed there would be an ANBU team escorting them through the village but it was only Kakashi and Sasuke. In all reality they were probably just as good as an ANBU escort with how powerful the two were.

"Glad to see you two made it alright," Kakashi waved in greeting.

"The journey was easy," Panther replied in a business-like tone.

Sasuke nodded, pleasantries were never his strong point, "Come with us and don't stray."

The Twin Cats nodded and followed the two shinobi to Hokage Tower. Sakura had to keep a very fine tuned control over her chakra. She just knew the instant she let even a hint of glee, relief, happiness, or anything of the sort leak through, Sasuke and Kakashi would both pick it up and their cover would be blown. And honestly she didn't want to know what would happen in that case…they would probably kick them out of Konoha or just kill her outright. So instead of feeling happy as she breathed in the beautiful air of her home she resigned herself to keep a sort of melancholy and tense aura. It was understandable considering they were waltzing into "enemy" territory. She just knew that this was the closest she would ever get to coming home.

But still Sakura couldn't deny that the village was still beautiful. Naruto had done well in keeping it going and safe from outside forces. Children were running happily through the streets throwing wooden kunai and shruiken. She smiled lightly beneath her mask as she watched them out of her peripheral vision. She wondered if Takeshi would've grown up that way had they stayed in the village. Would he have smiled and laughed as he ran through these streets? Would he have grown faster as a shinobi if he wasn't trained only by her and a wandering swordsman? Or would he have been scorned because his mother was an adulterous woman? She would never know…

Before she knew it they were inside and Sasuke knocked twice on the door to the Hokage's office before entering. It took everything in her not to proclaim her happiness at seeing all of her precious people gathered in the office. The office had drastically changed since she had last been in there. There were couches lining the walls as well as a coffee table, it gave the entire place a homier feel. Apparently the Hokage wasn't one for strict formalities. He was sending a message by having the meeting in here instead of another room where hierarchy and distinction was put into better play.

At the left side of the room sat her mentor and master, Tsunade. Next to her sat Shikamaru and Neji both looking the same as ever. Sasuke went and took his place at the Hokage's right hand and Sakura could only smile inwardly seeing her best friend and brother dressed in full Hokage regalia, looking just like the pictures of his father, sitting behind that desk he had been wanting for years. But her eyes stopped at the man standing to his left…

Itachi.

_Oh Kami-sama…_Her mind almost completely shut down seeing her long lost love standing not ten feet away from her. He looked just as handsome as ever, standing tall and regal to the Hokage's left. The patch on his vest told her he was Konoha's Chief of Police, which also told her he was now the head of the clan. His father hadn't handed over the position when they got married because they were still considered too young. But then her heart stopped for a second when she noticed the plain gold band around his left ring finger…he had gotten remarried. A small part of her died. She could feel her heart leave her chest. Kami she wanted the floor to just swallow her up at that moment.

_He…he doesn't love me…anymore…_ she whimpered silently, _Itachi…-kun…_

"The Twin Cats," Naruto grinned from ear to ear calling Sakura's attention to him, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Uzumaki Naruto the Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha. I trust your trip was alright?"

"It was fine," Panther responded keeping his business-like tone. Sakura said nothing…not that she would be able to form words anyways. _Focus Sakura…try to focus._

"I hope you didn't have to travel very far. If you need to rest for a day before beginning then that will be arranged at one of our hotels."

"We're fine. Our stamina is more than satisfactory. Just brief us on the mission and let us be on our way."

Naruto pouted, "No harm in trying to be nice."

"Our reputation is put on the line accepting this mission. If we're caught by others entering or leaving Konoha we're as good as dead. The less time spent here the better," Panther's voice got harder clearly voicing his impatience with pointless pleasantries.

Naruto just stayed quiet pondering his statement…something seemed off. He wouldn't think that mercenaries were that picky about reputation, "Is that so?"

Panther narrowed his eyes, not that anyone could see since his mask covered his face. But to that statement he figured it was better not to speak. It was a technique his mother taught him during his training.

xXxXx

_He was tired. His mother had given him an intense training sequence today and he never shirked in his training. He had to get strong fast. The door to their hotel room burst open and his mother stumbled in. It seemed that her last mission didn't go at all how she had planned. She had come home late and he was pretending to be asleep and she was so distracted that she bought it. _

_He could hear the tears streaming down her face and she stripped out of her gear. The pale green light told him that she was healing herself. Now his curiosity turned into anger. Someone hurt her…someone had made her cry!_

"_Kaa-san?" Takeshi sat up in bed looking at her with sad eyes._

"_Takeshi," Sakura quickly wiped away the tears, "I thought you were asleep."_

"_What happened?"_

_Being still a young child Sakura felt no shame in stripping out of her ruined clothing in front of him._

"_It's nothing baby, go back to sleep."_

_Takeshi bristled, "It's not nothing if they made you cry Kaa-san."_

_A sad smile made its way onto her face as she sat on the bed next to him. He instantly crawled into her lap, not bothered at all by her half-dressed state, and wrapped his arms around her neck. Sakura instantly buried her face into his small neck then kissed her way up to his forehead._

"_I love you Take-kun, you know that right?"_

"_Hai Kaa-san, I love you too." _

"_Listen to me very carefully," Sakura pulled back and met his eyes, "If you think you're going to hurt the situation by saying something then you probably will. Many people looking to hire want to bait you to see how long it takes you to snap. It is always better to bite your tongue and be silent than to give in to their baiting."_

_Takeshi nodded obediently in understanding. Whatever happened today obviously had something to do with her temper. _

xXxXx

So he held his tongue and waited for the Hokage to brief them on the mission. But it didn't lessen up the tension rolling off his body or his partner's for that matter. Of course her concern was more on the line of her son doing something stupid based on his general biased hate for Konoha. His was testing how long he could withstand being in the village that scorned the only person he held dear to his heart.

"Hmmm," Naruto hummed then sat up folding his hands on top of the desk, "I guess I can see your point. For being mercenaries you do have a rather…unconventional reputation. And you wouldn't want to be seen as Konoha shinobi in disguise."

Panther spied a scroll on the desk with "Twin Cats" written on it, "It seems that your men have done their homework and any other questions are pointless. Give us the mission and we will be on our way."

"Yes I have information on your movements and such," Naruto was glad that they noticed. If they hadn't then he would have been worried a bit. People may call him stupid but he did have his brilliant moments, "But they honestly don't tell me anything about you as people. I want to get to know you; it's a part of my nindo to get to know everyone I come in contact with."

"You will have to content yourself with the scroll. Our personal lives are our own."

"So you two are together then? How long have your been partners?"

Panther didn't reply.

"Long time I'm guessing considering how in tune you are with each other's beings."

That made Panther pause and Sakura stared in shock…when the hell had he gotten so perceptive?

"If you do not have a mission then we will be on our way. We passed up another opportunity by coming here. Leopard, we're leaving," Takeshi grabbed her arm feeling how tense and confused she was. She would need his help leaving this village.

"Oi!" Naruto shouted as Kakashi appeared suddenly in front of them, blocking the door, "You can't leave we still need your help. Like I said I make it a point to get to know everyone I come in contact with. Obviously that's not working. Please don't leave."

Takeshi eyed the Copy Nin for another moment taking in his relaxed stance but knew the man was anything but unprepared. It was the telltale sharpness in his eyes that gave him away. So he turned around forcing Sakura to turn with him, his grip on her arm lessened.

Naruto sighed, he was definitely put out at the two's confidentiality, "Alright let me introduce you to the people involved. This is Senju Tsunade, former Godaime Hokage, Chief Medic of Konoha, and my personal advisor. Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Neji, Chief Analysts from the Strategic Department. Uchiha Sasuke, my right hand…and left if we're really being honest, and my other advisor," he chuckled to himself earning a proper eye roll from said Uchiha, "Behind you is Hatake Kakashi, Head of all ANBU Operations. He's the one that recommended you for this mission. To my left is Uchiha Itachi, Chief of Konoha's Police Force, he will be sending some men as back up for when the mission is complete. And this is Nakubaki Fuji, the Fire Daimyo's Representative who brought the situation to our attention. And lastly this is Uzumaki Hinata and she will be transcribing the entire meeting."

Takeshi took the opportunity to glance around at the people in the room and his eyes stopped dead center at Itachi's introduction. He didn't even glance at the other two people introduced. His first feeling at seeing him was anger…this was the man that betrayed his mother. He's the one that disowned her and made her flee the village she loved. And he had the gall to marry another woman!

"Eh Panther-san," Naruto noticed the darker aura radiating off the shinobi and oddly enough it was slightly directed towards Itachi, "You didn't mention what village you and your partner are from."

"That's because we're not from one."

"So your parents were travelers?"

"What's the mission? I'm not asking again," Panther growled. He would be lying if his angered statement wasn't partially because his biological father was standing in the same room.

"I would advise you to take care and speak professionally when addressing our Hokage," Sasuke warned his hand sliding to Kusanagi.

Sakura instantly gripped Takeshi's arm and forced a small amount of soothing chakra through his system. To Takeshi it was more of a warning than anything. He instantly began to calm himself after all his lectures to his mother it wouldn't do well to be the one to blow their cover.

"You asked us here," he began assuming his previous professional tone, "Not the other way around. We are not one for small talk and pleasantries. At least be professional enough to respect that decision of ours. Now if we cannot get down to business then my partner and I will leave this village _never_ to return."

Naruto sighed internally; it seemed he wasn't going to be making new alliances today. It would have been very beneficial to his country if they could secure a type of friendship with these two rouge ninjas. It would definitely be convenient but obviously not up for discussion at the moment; although he could applaud them for sticking to business. Panther was obviously the leader of their little group and according to Kakashi's report he did all the talking with their meeting as well. But with that last interaction what Sasuke and Kakashi predicted was true, they were close…closer than typical partners, if not lovers. One touch from her and he listened to her unspoken command. Now he was curious as to why she didn't speak. Unfortunately that bit of information would have to wait until later, maybe after they return with the girls.

"The mission is relatively simple. It's a rescue mission of the Fire Daimyo's kidnapped daughters," Naruto explained with a serious voice.

"And Konoha is incapable of performing the mission because…"

Sakura wanted to roll her eyes at her son's blatant jab. He was still being rude.

Naruto ignored the jab in favor of keeping everything professional, "The restrictions of the ransom note prohibit Konoha from being involved. It never said we could not hire out or discuss options for retrieval. And as you've been told the Fire Daimyo has to go through Konoha in order to handle rouge shinobi. So we decided to hire you two as the rescue squad for the girls."

Panther nodded as well as Leopard.

"Shikamaru explain your plan," Naruto ordered as he leaned back in his chair studying to two rouges.

Shikamaru sighed, "The basic plan is this. You will meet with the kidnappers and pose as ninjas who want the bounty they have placed on the girls. You will rescue the girls and kill the bandits responsible. Then you will bring the two girls back to Konoha where they will be escorted back home to the Capital."

Panther nodded, "Easy enough."

"Of course Chief Uchiha will be sending some men to wait at a designated location that you are to meet up with to deliver the girls. When you meet up, you will travel together to Konoha then receive your payment on their return," Shikamaru finished.

Panther turned and met the unwavering stare of the Nara, "And just where would this Konoha group be waiting?"

"We will be following you and waiting a couple miles away from the meet location," Itachi added solemnly.

"No," Panther disagreed with a shake of his head. That statement indicated that Itachi himself would be going. There was no way in hell he would go on a mission with his dead beat, bastard of a father, "If those ninja are sensor types your presence will be picked up and the entire operation compromised."

"We cannot send you alone…for obvious reasons," Naruto said.

"You've read our file. You know enough about us to know that we would not go back on our word. I take it you have information on our work at the small kingdom of Ryshidu?"

Naruto nodded.

"Then you have enough to vouch for our character. We served those people without want for payment. We will not take these girls for our own gain. This is a mission and we will complete it without fail."

Naruto smiled at that and he could see that the Fire Representative breathed a sigh of relief. It was no surprise that he was worried about the girl's safety with rouge ninjas.

"Vows like that usually start from shinobi villages," Naruto said with a knowing gleam in his eye.

"Or just growing up with a sense of honor," Panther replied blandly.

A large smile graced the Hokage's face; he loved getting to know new people. And despite Panther's evasion he knew a little more about him through this conversation, "Huh…you two keep surprising me. I like it."

"When is the meet date?" Panther asked wanting to stay on business. It was a wonder how this Hokage got anything done with how scatter brained his mind was.

"According to the recent letter sent to his majesty, the kidnappers want the money in five days' time," Nakubaki stated.

"And they want to meet here," Sasuke unrolled a scroll from the Hokage's shelf, "Northwest a few hours is an old abandoned town. They are waiting there. We suggest getting there-"

"Early and scoping out the targets to see how many we are actually dealing with," Panther cut him off while staring at the map, "Hopefully while we observe for a day they will reveal the location of the girls and maybe even the type of shinobi they are. This isn't our first rodeo Uchiha-san."

"Hn."

"Leopard have you memorized the map?" Panther asked.

Sakura caught onto his hidden message easily; he basically stated that since he couldn't copy the map he had to make sure that she knew where she was going in her home land. She nodded.

"Good. We will see you three days' time," Panther stood to his full height then turned for the door.

"Wait!"

The pair stopped and turned to look at the Fire Representative. They stood still waiting for him to speak.

"The Daimyo has another request but it's more…delicate," Nakubaki started, his unease radiating off his body, "The girls have been gone for over a week now. He's concerned with their…purity."

Sakura's heart melted…it was a valid concern and one she had had since they started talking about the mission. As a mother, she could only imagine the worry a parent would have especially with something so precious being compromised in a little girl. Without another thought she walked forward a few steps before Takeshi stopped her.

"Leopard," he warned.

But she shrugged him off and continued to approach Nakubaki. She steadily placed both hands on his shoulders and stared at him straight in the eye. Little did he know that she performed the same calming jutsu that she used on her partner earlier. But it conveyed the message that he wanted and needed to hear. Slowly she moved one hand to rest against his cheek with three fingers touching the nerves on the back of his neck inconspicuously.

"Thank you…Leopard-san," Nakubaki whispered before bowing slightly to her.

She nodded again then turned and left the room with Panther right behind her.

Naruto glanced at him, "She didn't speak a word but she obviously told you something."

Nakubaki smiled and nodded slightly, "She told me…that everything would be fine. Her essence was very soothing. It felt like she would do anything for those girls."

Naruto's smile was award winning, "Heh, I guess we have nothing to worry about then."

* * *

It took the team only one day before they reached the deserted city. And it looked exactly how they pictured it to look, complete with the old dusty and ripped curtains bleached beige from the sun. They sat a little ways off studying, watching, and waiting for any sign of movement from anywhere in the town.

"There…at the center," Leopard pointed from her position.

"Hai, sentry just checked the window," Panther confirmed, "It seems that they are holed up in the old Town Hall building."

"Hai, in a town this small there are probably only two exits. The front door for the general public and the back door reserved for the officials whose offices would be in the back."

Panther nodded, "We wait for sundown when the regular watch starts."

"Hai. We wait."

Four hours later the team made their move. Since they had orders to kill the kidnappers Panther had no problem unleashing the full power of his bloodline. Maybe it was his deep seated hatred for kidnapping children away from their parents. Maybe it was just his thirst for blood or his ambition to deliver righteous justice to those incapable of doing so. Whatever his reason he knew this mission would end in their victory.

"**I'm in position,"** Leopard reported from the back exit.

"Move on my mark."

"**Hai."**

Placing an exploding tag on the door he prepared to draw out the kidnappers. They guessed since the group easily hid in this desolate city that there couldn't be more than a typical four man squad. Anything larger and they would've shown themselves in that five hours the Cat's waited for sundown. So their plan was for Panther to draw out the three of the kidnappers while Leopard dealt with the last one that would be protecting the two girls. Unfortunately the suspects never left the building so numbers and abilities were unknown. Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time they were going in blind.

"Kai!"

The front door exploded. He drew his twin ninjatao from his back just as the predicted three men burst from the flame.

"If you're not here with the money then leave," one man called out, he wore all black except for a stark white face mask that resembled ANBU except it had no markings. He instantly noticed that every single one of the men was wearing the same thing. Odd…usually nuke-nin wear their scratched hitae-ate and aren't afraid to show their faces. These men seem to have something to hide. Now he had to find out what it was.

"I'm here for your bounty and your heads," Panther replied taking a ready stance.

"Taichou, this is Panther from the Twin Cats," one of the other men whispered, "His partner should be nearby."

Not waiting a second longer Panther attacked catching one on the arm before they jumped away.

o0o

Leopard heard the explosion and jumped through the nearest window shattering the glass.

_Damn this isn't the right room._

Taking a quick turn to the left she shoved open the next door only to find it empty. Hitting the next door with her shoulder it burst open and she spotted the two girls hog tied in the corner of the room. Another second and she was dodging a kunai aimed at her neck. Sakura instantly flipped and grabbed two kunai from her pouch and charged again. The two met in a clash, metal screeching against each other before Sakura used a bit extra force to knock him away. The girls whimpered in the corner watching the display of violence with wide frightened eyes.

_Such innocence,_ Sakura thought grimly, _I hope they haven't been corrupted._

She then took in the captor's appearance. Odd…nuke-nin don't dress like that. She and Takeshi were anomalies in that regard, but of course they had something to hide. Then it struck her…maybe they do as well. Eyes narrowed in determination she sent a quick message to her partner, "A single grain."

"**Roger."**

Sakura leapt again throwing the two kunai at her opponent to distract him while she summoned her new favorite weapon, her double headed spear. She spun it around in the air before settling it nicely on her back taking a ready stance. The shaft was five feet long built from solid wood that Sakura placed chakra seals on to prevent it from breaking, and she had it custom painted in dark leopard print. The large tips were jagged at the base before sharpening to a fine point. They were forged out of chakra enhanced steel which Sakura had saved five years' worth of pay in order to buy. She loved this weapon and it had become the staple of her new personality. Lighting up her hands she easily transferred her chakra into the steel tips amplifying their natural sharpness. She smirked up at her opponent from her crouched position then lifted a hand encouraging him to attack her.

o0o

Panther spun quickly his swords deflecting the shuriken aimed for his neck. These men…they were tougher than he was expecting. Typically nuke-nin that who kidnapped noble's children were ranks no higher than Chunin. But these men…there was something about them and it was more than just their dress that set him off. So when his mother called to keep one alive for questioning he easily agreed with her. Whatever she was witnessing inside with the girls was probably something similar to him.

Coming up with a quick strategy he knew he had to take a hit in order get close enough to disable one of them. His target…the one who identified him. Performing an intricate series of twists, lunges, and katas that had been drilled into him first by his mother and then by his teacher.

xXxXx

"_Remember Takeshi-san, stay calm and stay focused. The instant you tense up and lose focus then you've lost your fight. Remember what you're protecting."_

"_Kaa-san," he heaved trying to steady his breathing, "I have…to pro…protect…Kaa-san."_

_His sensei smiled, long and bright red hair gleaming in the hot afternoon sun, "She is definitely someone worth protecting."_

xXxXx

Takeshi instantly cleared out all other thoughts and anything else at this point would distract him because he could not be distracted. Jumping away from his opponents he changed his grip on his two swords, one in a regular grip and the other flipped backwards. Growling in anticipation he lunged forward and attacked with a newfound fury.

o0o

Sakura twirled easily out of the attacker's way and spun her spear around catching some of the lose fabric on his clothing. A small sniff later told her that she also drew blood. She smirked knowing that was sure to tick off the other guy. He quickly assessed the damage then deemed it safe.

Sakura took that chance to glance at the girls, any thrown weapons had missed them so far. She was grateful for that but this fight needed to end quickly because that luck was not going to hold out. Lunging quickly at her opponent Sakura shot her spear forward making him twirl away. Anticipating his movement to the right Sakura stuck the blade into the floor performing a quick spin kick catching the other guy in the face. Luckily she added chakra to that kick so when his arms came up to block she broke both of them. The man landed in a heap on the floor and groaned in pain…there were only two people in the world that could use that technique and one was in Konoha.

"You…" he growled, mask meeting mask, "You should be dead."

"Sorry to disappoint."

With a final thrust she sliced the man's jugular leaving him to bleed out on the old wood.

Sakura instantly stowed her spear not needing it anymore and definitely not wanting to scare the small girls any more than they already were.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Sakura spoke softly to the two girls with her hands in the air, "I'm going to untie you and take you home to your father."

Both girls didn't move and Sakura could tell that they weren't going to struggle. As a show of good faith she lifted her Leopard mask revealing her eyes to the girls. She then untied the gags in both of their mouths followed by their hands.

"Thank you," one of the girls said. She was a cute little thing with dark chocolate hair and baby blue eyes.

"You're very welcome," Sakura smiled behind her black wrap mask.

"You're eyes are pretty…I like purple," the other girl stated. She looked similar to her sister except her hair was a lighter shade of black than brown.

"Thank you," Sakura's smiled again. She could tell the girls were beginning to calm down and at least begin to trust her. Now for the hard part, "Girls, I need you ask you a question," they listened, "Did those men touch you in any way?"

The older one spoke first, "You mean tie us up?" Her face scrunched in confusion.

That was a good sign to Sakura, if they thought tying up meant touch then usually they didn't know what else it could mean, "No not that kind. Would you mind if I checked?"

They shook their heads and held out their hands. Sakura took each hand shot chakra into their bodies. They gasped at the sensation but didn't move at they stared at the weird green chakra pulsing around their hands. Sakura closed her eyes in concentration as her chakra weaved throughout their bodies mending any wounds they had sustained. Luckily she could not detect any signs of foul play on their bodies and that was a great weight off her mind and shoulders. If they had been found in such a state Sakura would have taken measures to bind away the awful memories so that the girls could at least live a relatively normal life and not be haunted by those events.

"Come on, let's meet my partner so we can take you home," Sakura offered her hands to the girls and they took them willingly.

o0o

Takeshi was cleaning off his swords on one of the dead men's shirt when Sakura walked out with both the girls, hand in hand. It was cute he had to admit, his mother always had a way of placating children. It probably had to do with the fact her chakra signature had a certain soothing feel that came with her being a medic. That was one thing that she didn't change about it and Takeshi was grateful. Granted he would never be able to pull off the same feat of complete manipulation and disfigurement of a chakra signature but he was glad his mother could. If not…well then their life would not have been as secretive as they were now. During their travels they had, while undercover, run into people Sakura was acquainted with, people that would have recognized her. But since she was perfectly concealed down to her unique chakra signature they had escaped unnoticed. He had asked his mother once, after he completed his training with his sword master, about her ability to chance her signature.

xXxXx

"_But I don't understand Kaa-san," the twelve year old boy stopped and folded his arms. He was going to get a straight answer out of her, "Kenji-sensei said that if someone were using a strong jutsu all the time then they would be drained of chakra. How come you're not?"_

_Sakura turned to face her stubborn son. She had no idea what had brought this on. One moment they were discussing his training in kenjutsu and what he learned. They had talked about how excited Takeshi was going on his first mission when all of a sudden she was being interrogated._

"_Takeshi, seriously we need to keep moving. This discussion can wait until later."_

_But of course he didn't move. There was one thing she absolutely admired…and despised about her son…he was as stubborn as an ox. If he wanted to know something bad enough he would persevere until he had the answer. With learning and training Sakura loved his determination…but when that stubborn personality was directed at her it was very irksome. She knew he really wasn't going to move a muscle until he got at least some type of answer. _

"_Fine, I'll give you a basic explanation and the rest will have to wait until we reach a hotel. Would that be ok with you?"_

_Takeshi nodded his face still serious._

_Sakura shook her head in exasperation, "I'm the student of the Godaime Hokage Tsunade. And one of her…techniques she inherited from her grandmother was the Yin Seal. The Yin Seal can only be gained and used if the user has very fine or perfect chakra control. Luckily I have perfect chakra control and I am able to use it. So instead of using my daily regular chakra to manipulate my signature I use the chakra I store into my seal to do the job for me. That way I'm still able to function and fight on a regular basis."_

_Takeshi pondered his mother's words for a second before nodding at her explanation, "You said a long time ago that your master uses hers all the time too, right?"_

"_Hai, she does."_

"_For what?"_

_A wry smile came across her lips, "She likes to keep herself looking young."_

_Takeshi snorted but luckily for Sakura, he started walking again._

xXxXx

"Panther-san, where's ours?" Sakura asked.

"He's sealed and ready for transport. Are those the girls?" Panther nodded at the two.

"Hai, these are the Daimyo's daughters. This is Harumi," Sakura lifted the older girl's hand, "And this is Junko." The smaller girl curtsied lightly making Takeshi smile behind his mask.

"Thank you for helping save us…Panther-san," Harumi smiled meekly up at him.

"You're very welcome Harumi-hime," he replied in a lighter tone.

"Can we see your eyes too?" Junko bounced slightly on her feet in anticipation.

Takeshi looked up and met his mother's eyes…he just noticed that they were uncovered. It was odd but…since she changed the color then he guessed it wasn't too bad. With a steady hand he lifted his mask revealing his dark forest green eyes. The girls came closer, considering it was dark and they couldn't see as well.

"Wow…" Junko whispered, "Yours are pretty too."

He huffed his mask hiding a larger smile, "You're too kind."

Sakura shook both of the girl's hands, "Alright let's get walking, and remember we need to find a camp site away from here so we can sleep. Then tomorrow we will take you to Konoha. Panther-san…grab the baggage."

Takeshi huffed in mild amusement before following her out of the abandoned village, the baggage slung over his shoulder.

* * *

It took them a day and a half to reach Konoha. With the two Princess's inability to travel at shinobi speeds they were reduced to walking at a leisurely pace. Sakura didn't mind so much especially since the girls enjoyed holding her hands, but Takeshi's load was getting a little heavy. Sakura had easily fobbed off the "hard" labor onto his shoulder while she enjoyed the company of the two young girls. He was grateful that Sakura's scan showed no signs of abuse…he wasn't sure if he could lug this captive around if he had touched the girls.

"Look, look!" Junko pointed ahead of them, "It's the big green gates! Panther-dude look!"

Takeshi rolled his eyes, instead of keeping the traditional –san at the end of his name Junko had decided to use substitute "dude" instead of the honorific. At least his mother got called "lady" instead of a mildly degrading "dude."

"Hai, we made it," he replied dryly. He wasn't sure if the captive gained weight on their journey or if the site of their destination made him over eager to finish. Whatever it was…he was happy to finally be done with their obligation to Konoha. He couldn't wait to get out of there.

Their last entrance into the city consisted of only two people but now with the arrival of the two Princesses, it seemed as though the entire village turned out. ANBU and the police force were placed along the top of the wall as well as at the entrance. And standing at the entrance was Nakubaki-san, Sasuke, Tsunade, and of course Itachi. As the Police Chief it was probably his personal duty to oversee the two high profile girls made it safely into the city.

When the small group reached the gate Nakubaki fell to his knees in front of the girls, "Harumi-hime, Junko-hime I'm so happy to see you!"

"Hello Fuji-san," Harumi said politely, "Is Otou-san here?"

"Nei, he is waiting for you at the Capital. You will see him soon."

Junko shook Sakura's arm drawing her attention, "Leopard-lady, I thought my Tou-san would be here."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders making Junko frown.

Sasuke, Tsunade, and Itachi all stared at Leopard wondering at the name the small girl had given her. It was mildly amusing for a small Princess to address a mercenary so informally.

"Panther, Leopard, the Hokage wants to see you in his office for a debriefing," Sasuke stated blandly.

"I want to come!" Junko shouted, "Leopard-lady can I come with you?"

Sakura nodded making the little girl smile and bounce on her feet. Harumi looked equally pleased considering she was not at all ready to let go of her rescuer's hand.

The group began their walk through the village calling lots of attention to themselves. Nakubaki was subtly badgering Tsunade to check the girls as soon as possible but Tsunade kept waving him off. Obviously the girls weren't traumatized or they wouldn't be acting so carefree at the moment. She could put off the examination until they dealt with the hired mercenaries.

Sasuke took the lead the group following him to Hokage Tower. Itachi though stayed back to speak with Panther.

"Your orders were to kill all of the kidnappers," he stated in a monotone voice, "Why did you bring one back?"

If there was one thing Takeshi hated…absolutely hated without a shadow of a doubt…it was when people questioned his decisions. It vexed him that people would try to justify or seek an explanation about his choices. They were his own, he didn't need to explain them to anyone…ever. But he had to remember where he was. If he showed any type of hostility towards anyone while in Konoha then there would be trouble.

"We had our reasons," he answered, his voice slightly tight from his previous feelings. He typically had very good control but around this…_man_…his control seemed to slip. And it didn't surprise Takeshi one bit.

"And?"

"And that's all you need to know," Takeshi turned to face him with a murderous glare that was expertly concealed beneath this mask.

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the man. Just who did he think he was? This person obviously had no idea who he was talking to; if he did then he would probably not act so hostile towards him. Before Panther even answered Itachi could feel the rage boiling in his chakra and it was directed at him. Ever since that first meeting Itachi had an odd feeling about this man. He assumed that they had met once…probably from his days in ANBU. Because what else could have caused this man to act so hostile towards him on their first meeting. They didn't know each other so why all the anger whenever he addressed him?

His eyes glanced away from Panther and instead fixed on his partner…who was currently looking at him. Or at least he thought she was…odd.

"Leopard…it was nothing," Panther stated in a gruff voice and increased his walking speed to get away from the Police Chief.

_Or maybe she wasn't looking at me,_ Itachi thought. Why he was thinking that another woman was looking at him was ridiculous in his mind. Granted women still fawned over him considering he was now in the public eye more as the Police Chief and Clan Head; not to mention married. But still…the first meeting he could feel something…off or different about Leopard. He couldn't quite get a fix on her considering it was exceptionally difficult to get a proper read on her chakra signature. Usually by tuning into the chakra pathways of people around him he could guess at people's moods. But she was mystery. And that mystery made her very dangerous and unpredictable in his book.

Whoever these two people were, Itachi concluded that they were dangerous.

Sakura was worried…Takeshi just spoke with his father. She didn't know what it was about but with the way they were both irritated at each other obviously it didn't go well. Granted Itachi has no idea that the black covered man he spoke to was his son and if he did…well she didn't want to go there. He would probably deny it anyway. Even if Takeshi were to activate his sharingan the ultimate proof of lineage, Itachi would only say it was a genjutsu to try and fool him. He disowned her, he abandoned her in her time of greatest need and left her alone. He denied his own son. And now he was married to another woman and probably had a family he could be proud of.

She needed to stop thinking that way. It was only going to make her more depressed than she already was. And having Takeshi storm off afterward…ugh their evening was going to suck. He would need to find a place to blow off some steam before they could even think about finding work.

Naruto's smiling face greeted the group as they entered his office, "Welcome back Cats and I see that your mission was successful. Excellent work."

Panther and Leopard nodded. Sakura felt a small tug on her hand.

"Is that the Hokage?" Harumi asked.

"Hai," Panther replied adjusting the weight on his shoulder, "His shinobi will escort you back to the Capital."

"But I don't wanna go Leopard-lady!" Junko complained, "I wanna stay with you and Panther-dude and go camping! I don't want to be a little lady!"

She had the entire room chuckling except for Itachi and Nakubaki.

"Junko-hime, your father is expecting you," Nakubaki knelt next to her.

"But I want to stay!"

"Remember we talked about this Junko-san," Panther cut in, "We told you that you cannot stay with us."

"But-but…I like you," Big blue eyes stared up at him. Takeshi rolled his eyes and hid a small smile. Really he hoped this girl learned not to trust everyone who saved her.

Sakura thought her innocence was adorable and called Junko's attention back to her. Releasing the girl's hands she tucked a hair behind each of their ears and kissed their foreheads. She slowly let her chakra leak into their system the same as when she reassured Nakubaki.

"Fine…but can I see you again Leopard-lady?" Junko asked.

"Junko nee-san they will be busy," Harumi answered her sister but she kept smiling at Sakura, "Thanks again Leopard-san."

Sakura nodded then released the girls. They grabbed Nakubaki's hands and were escorted from the room to begin their journey home.

Naruto started chuckling, "Leopard-lady and Panther-dude, you guys have a way with children."

Panther didn't reply except to drop his baggage onto the ground, "There were four kidnappers, all dressed the same. Their skill was above average for those who would resort to this type of action to send a message. He has been sealed so you will have to remove it before he can speak."

Naruto waved his hand, "By all means don't let me stop you."

Panther growled slightly but undid the seal. The prisoner gasped and coughed in a heap on the floor.

"So, why would someone want to kidnap the Fire Daimyo's daughters?" Naruto mused out loud knowing that the prisoner could hear him, "Your group had to have known that they would come to Konoha and that we'd find a way. Kinda foolish if you ask me. You would have had better luck kidnapping another noble's children from a smaller country. At least that way the payout would be more likely guaranteed. And if you are above average in skill then I can assume that you are of decent intelligence. Feel free to correct me where I'm wrong."

The white masked prisoner looked up to stare at the Hokage then the others around the room. His eyes stayed the longest on Takeshi and Sakura studying the both of them. He remembered one of his teammates saying something interesting over their radio and since he had been fighting Panther so that meant his partner recognized Leopard. Interesting, considering before he died there was a very loud smack then the line went silent. At first he assumed the guy was simply knocked out, but then they left him indicating he was dead. Not many people could kill with a single, face cracking punch…

Then he started to chuckle deep in his throat. It seemed that his master would be in luck after all.

Sakura noticed the change in his demeanor and the fact that he began laughing did not sit well with her. She immediately gripped the front of his shirt and ripped off his mask. His dark brown eyes were shining with a mischievous glee making her stomach drop. He couldn't possibly know…could he? Because if he did then that meant…

In desperation Sakura gripped his throat and squeezed causing the man to begin choking.

Takeshi was beside her ready to either help her or protect her from attack by Konoha, he wasn't sure which at the moment.

"Whoa Leopard!" Naruto stood a little shocked by her display. She was on edge that much was certain, "Don't kill him yet we need to question him. You brought him back for a reason, remember?"

Sakura released her grip on him but not before noticing something…black on his tongue. That was odd.

The prisoner gasped, regaining his breath a wicked smile crossed his face. He couldn't believe that the plan actually worked. And now he was going to be the final sacrifice for his master.

"Whore," he whispered, he voice scratchy from Sakura's choking.

Takeshi didn't even blink, he reacted instantly slashing perfectly across the guy's throat then watched as he bled out in seconds, dead on the Hokage's floor.

Sakura's hands were shaking, he knew…how the hell did he figure it out?! Nobody had called her that…in years. The look, she couldn't believe it. They needed to leave now.

"Our payment Hokage," Panther demanded sheathing the bloody sword.

"You get your payment when you explain what just happened," Naruto countered, "It seems he knew something about you."

Takeshi glared, they didn't have time for this, "It's none of your business."

"This happened in my office, in my village, so it _is_ my business."

Sakura gripped Takeshi's wrist and tapped a short code phrase "dog a bone, rolling stone." Takeshi understood, they needed to throw the Konoha ninjas a little bone in order for them to get the hell out of there.

"This man inadvertently learned something about us that should not be known. So he was killed, end of story."

Naruto pondered that. It seemed that Panther was telling the truth and that he recognized Leopard from somewhere. It was beyond him how he knew, they both kept themselves completely covered from head to toe. "I see, from your past?" Now he was fishing.

Takeshi groaned inside, "Yes."

"He directed it at Leopard."

This time he did growl, "Fine, you want to know? I saved Leopard from a horrible situation and obviously this man knew about it. She has let go of her past and anytime something comes up it gets instantly eliminated."

Naruto nodded sagely, "I see. That's why you don't speak…isn't it?"

Leopard didn't reply, her focus was trained to the floor.

"You now know more about us than anybody in this world. Are you happy now? This killing went in line with our arranged agreement so there is no harm done. Give us our payment and let us go as per our deal," Takeshi stood directly in front of the Hokage's desk his aura not quite threatening but close.

It was a lost cause to get any more information out of them. It didn't help that both Sasuke and Itachi were slowly pushing Naruto back so they could stand in front of him. Kakashi had come up behind Panther slowly making Sakura whip her head around.

She instantly shot out her hand and tugged on Takeshi to pull him back. He fought her at first but relented. This situation was going from bad to worse quickly.

"Fine, keep your money, it's not like we need it," He growled as they both turned for the door and left.

o0o

Tsunade couldn't believe it. She really couldn't believe her own eyes telling her what her heart couldn't believe.

Sakura was alive…she was alive and in Konoha.

What her mind couldn't work out was why. Why wasn't she coming forward and revealing herself? Why didn't she say something? But her mind simply couldn't put two and two together. Because her mind was still trying to convince her that it was indeed Sakura standing in front of her.

The first time she met the Twin Cats she watched and observed looking for the small hints that Kakashi and Sasuke spoke of before. And to some respect she agreed with their initial findings, they were obviously close, but not lovers. Lovers would have a gravity to them that was hard to fake. There would be small touches and nuances that would indicate a deep connection brought by sexual familiarity. These two didn't have that. So she assumed that they were merely great friends who didn't want to ruin their camaraderie by being physically intimate.

The moment those two left, Tsunade walked up to Nakubaki and assessed the chakra that was subtly injected into his system. But even for a medic it wasn't enough to completely identify. It felt familiar but she had been around so many people that she couldn't possibly name the specific signature. Then they brought the girl's back to Konoha and Tsunade left with the Fire contingent to check the girl's "health" before they were to leave Konoha.

That's when she figured it out. This chakra signature was unmistakable. Sakura had personally checked the girls after they rescued them leaving some of her latent chakra signature in them. Was it on purpose? Probably not, Sakura was always so tender hearted that she probably felt obligated as their rescuer and as a medic to check on them. And she probably figured that her chakra would disappear by the time they reached Konoha. Lucky for Tsunade it wasn't. And then she remembered the little motherly display that Leopard had shown to the Princesses. And then everything clicked, whenever Sakura worked with the children in the hospital she would do the same thing for each of them; put a lock of hair behind their ear and kiss their forehead.

Now she needed answers. Twice Sakura entered this village and both times she never spoke a word. And who was the man she was traveling with? She had already ruled out a lover, so maybe just a close friend? Or maybe…no…there's no way that's her son! Had it really been so long already?

It was official, she was getting her answers out of her former apprentice before they skipped town and became untraceable. But something told her to…for now…not involve Naruto, or anyone else for that matter.

When she walked back into the Hokage's office there was a dead man on the floor and everyone standing around with apathetic looks on their faces.

Naruto looked up at her entrance, "The girl's ok?"

"Hai," she replied curtly, "Did the Cats leave already?"

"Yeah…"

Something about Naruto's tone made her uneasy, but that would have to wait. She was angry that they had already left, now she was going to have to find those idiots.

"Tsunade-hime, mind if I speak with you a moment," Kakashi followed her out of the office.

Tsunade raised a suspicious eyebrow but allowed him to follow her. She set a slightly brisk pace hoping to lose the lazy Jounin before she caught up to her apprentice.

"It's her isn't it?"

That had the former Godaime stopping in her tracks. She turned and stared at the Copy Nin and she could see it. He knew.

"It is," she replied softly.

Kakashi nodded, "They left heading straight out the front gates. If we're fast enough we will catch them."

Tsunade nodded and they took to the roofs, "How did you figure it out?"

"I knew something was off the moment I met them," he stated, "Mostly the way Leopard held herself. When getting the mission it slightly confirmed it. Sakura would always stand with her feet shoulder length apart, hands crossed behind her back so she could slap Naruto or Sasuke if they got out of hand. Then I knew for sure when she kissed the two girls."

Tsunade scrunched her eyebrows at him, "How would you know that?"

Kakashi shrugged, "I would occasionally go to the hospital to bother her about something unimportant and many times she would be in the children's ward. Also, that dead man knew her. Probably some sort of tell from their fight. He called her a whore and her partner reacted instantly."

Tsunade sighed, "I need answers."

"Hai."

o0o

They were about a mile outside of the village when they felt two chakras in pursuit.

"What the hell could Konoha possibly want?" Takeshi growled as they continued tree jumping.

Sakura was silent. She knew who was following them and since it was those two and not the entire shinobi corps, then it was obvious Naruto had no idea. But Tsunade-shishou and Kaka-sensei were following them. They knew, or else they wouldn't even bother.

"Stop," Sakura whispered.

"No fucking way," Takeshi shot back, "We're not stopping for anybody."

"They know," Sakura stopped on a large branch Takeshi immediately stopping with her, "If we don't clear this now then they will just continue to follow us until we have eased their…curiosity."

"This is bullshit. We never should have come here. This whole situation has done nothing but get steadily worse."

Sakura didn't say anything to that but waited another minute when Tsunade and Kakashi appeared near them.

"What the fuck do you two want?" Takeshi demanded, "Make it quick before we leave."

Tsunade exchanged a quick glance with Kakashi before speaking, "Sakura we know it's you."

"You don't know shit," Takeshi fired back, "Leave us the fuck alone or this will become lethal."

"Silence you impudent brat!" the former Hokage shouted, "It was not you who I was addressing! If I wish to speak to my apprentice then I will speak with her. Not you."

"Panther stop," Sakura spoke quietly. She turned to face her two former teachers, "What can I do for you, Tsunade-san, Kakashi-san?"

"Cut the bullshit Sakura. It's no use pretending to be someone you're not."

"I was never pretending. I was merely choosing to hide."

"Sakura," Kakashi cut in, "It's good to see you again."

"Is it?" she retorted, "After all you guys never cared before."

"That's not true."

Sakura snorted. How dare they have the gall to say they were happy to see her when she damn well knew that wasn't true, "Isn't it though? You gave up on me. Everyone gave up on me. Nobody cared that I was gone. They were all happy not to have to live near an adulterous woman. Even Itachi rid himself of my memory by marrying another. So don't you fucking dare stand there and tell me it's not true! You all abandoned me!"

"Sakura we looked for you," Tsuande countered, "I sent your team out in search of you."

"Then where were they?!" she screamed, tears leaking from her covered eyes, "Where were all of you?! Oh wait let me tell you, shishou! You were sitting in your office wondering how your perfect apprentice could ever cheat on her husband. Sasuke was sitting in the damn Compound not wanting to be near the woman who cheated on his perfect brother. Kakashi and Naruto, as always, were never around when I needed them the most!"

"Sakura," Kakashi's voice breaking slightly, "We looked for you. For a week straight we looked."

"A week?" she asked in disbelief, "That's it? How long did we look for Sasuke, _Kaka-sensei?_ We looked for him for three fucking years! You gave up on me after a week? Wow…I see where I stand with my team."

"Sakura stop being so closed minded," Tsunade chided folding her arms under her large breasts.

"Leave her alone!" Takeshi shouted interrupting Sakura's retort. He could tell she was quickly losing it and he also knew that these people were the last ones that she wanted to have a break down in front of, "How dare you accuse her of being closed minded. Or did you forget that it was you who turned your back on her. It was _you_ who thought that she cheated. And it was YOU who forced her to leave because YOU were the ones being closed minded! You don't have a right to speak to her in such a manner!" He couldn't believe the words coming out of their mouths, "And if you value any part of her sanity, you will leave us the fuck alone."

Tsunade's face dropped and she heaved a heavy sigh, "Sakura…I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"Yes you did…don't lie," she whispered trying to contain the tears that were flowing down her face in torrents.

"We never gave up on you," Kakashi stated softly, his guilty conscience just as heavy as the rest, "We've been searching for signs of you everywhere. It's one of the reasons Naruto wanted me in ANBU. He wanted me to keep an ear out for anything that fit your profile."

"You're a fool Kakashi," Sakura bit out, "You think I'd leave an obvious trail. Everybody in that village hates me. I would have had the entire Uchiha clan out for my blood if they got wind of my whereabouts. I'm the adulterous woman who cheated on the heir of the Uchiha clan. I was abandoned by my family, my team, and the village where I grew up. I was renounced and my last name stripped from me. Nobody was around to defend me or my baby. I was weak, still recovering from giving birth. Of course I was going to hide you idiot. And if you had half a brain in your fucking head you would have known not to look for my traditional signatures! It's as if all the lessons you taught me about disappearing are not even applicable right now!"

Kakashi bowed his head in remorse.

"And you shishou…you didn't even let me defend myself. You left me alone. The nurses were the ones to spread my accused infidelity and you let them. You didn't even try to defend me when the Uchiha's took my name! I couldn't go home! You're my master, you know me better than anyone. But I was wrong again...and betrayed. Everybody I loved left me alone, why stay in a place that doesn't want me. I couldn't do that to my baby; let him grow up in a place where he's hated. I wouldn't let him be another Naruto. He _deserved _better."

Tsunade wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked over at Takeshi, "Is he your son?"

"We've said more than enough. Thank you for bringing up such wonderful feelings in my partner. We're leaving and if you follow us, I will use lethal force," Takeshi drew his mother into his arms. She was a crying heap and he knew she wouldn't be able to stand soon, this type of pain…was unbearable, "Don't send for us again. Don't look for us, and I never want to see this sorry excuse for a hidden village again. Do I make myself clear?"

Kakashi and Tsunade didn't reply both staring forlornly and guiltily at Sakura.

"ANSWER ME!"

"You have our word," Tsunade replied solemnly.

"And if you tell anybody else about Leopard, I'll personally make sure they taste the steel of my blade, as well as you." Sakura shivered, that was her son's ultimate threat. Once he promised someone that they would taste the steel of his blade, they always did, and then said blade was thrust through the back of their skull.

"Your secret is safe with us," Tsunade responded again then added quickly, "If either of you ever need medical attention…please come see me. I know what you're thinking but…let me make up what happened in the past with this."

Takeshi scoffed, "Nothing you could ever do could make up for her pain. And she's your apprentice; you really think we need medical attention."

The former Hokage was too tired and heartbroken to think up a witty retort, "Regardless…I will treat you if you come to me."

"Panther…" Sakura choked out as her knees began to give, "Get me out of here."

Takeshi nodded as he slung his mother's arm around his shoulders, grabbed her waist, and leapt away.

* * *

**Please leave a review of your thoughts i love hearing them! The plot thickens in the next few chapters and then the adventures begin!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Because everyone was asking for it and i like pleasing my readers!**

* * *

This was the third day in a row where his mother was beyond drunk. He was pretty sure she didn't even know this was the third day of her drunken stupor. And he only had Konoha to blame for it.

_Fucking morons. Why did they have to push her?_

He couldn't get over it. Fortunately the money from their last paycheck was still enough to see them through for another week of food and lodging. And with his mother spending all her share on strong sake he would probably have to take on a side mission to make up for her expenses. Kami he hated this. Not that he would ever tell her, this secret he'd keep buried because in all reality, his mother's happiness was worth more than his own. She gave up everything for him and in return he had respect across the country as a shinobi. He grew up loved and not hated. For that he was grateful.

So he had to banish the thoughts that were steadily creeping up on him. He doesn't care about a home. He doesn't care about belonging anywhere. He knew he was the most important person in his mother's life and that was enough for him. Nothing else mattered.

He turned his head and stared at the broken woman. The tears stopped yesterday and a deep depression had set in. She occasionally mumbled to herself but he never bothered to listen. How could he? All he would hear were the woes of her fragile heart. He couldn't take it anymore. What would it take to make her happy? To make her smile? To make her the woman she once was…the same woman he had only seen a few times in his life.

_We would have to go back to Konoha. Even with all the heartache it's where her home is, and what makes her happiest. But for now…it's out of our reach._

The forest was thinning as they made their way to Grass. There was a shinobi bar about twenty miles south of the Hidden Village that had listings for jobs. Sakura was completely broke from spending all her money on drink. Even now she was still majorly hung over with a pounding headache. Only when she realized that she spent her entire paycheck on booze did she snap out of her mock depression. She had apologized to Takeshi for her behavior and he had done the only thing to do…shrug it off and start heading towards their next job. It had taken a week for Sakura to empty her wallet. And now they were on the move again to get back into the routine of their typical life.

* * *

"Take-kun, I need a moment," Sakura stated as she stopped at the base of a small tree. As soon as her feet hit the ground she gripped the small trunk and vomited around the back.

Takeshi sighed softly. Inadvertently she was leaving an easy trail to follow. Not only were her movements sluggish and clumsy but every hour it seemed they had to stop so that she could empty the contents of her stomach…if there was anything left in there. Hopefully nobody was looking for them because they wouldn't have to try very hard to find them. He waited patiently while she finished then took a long drink of water.

"I'm sorry Takeshi," her voice sounded a little gravelly, "This won't happen again."

He nodded, "I know."

She replaced her canteen forming a quick seal and it disappeared, "You're to understanding. I wish sometimes you'd get angry or something."

He chuckled, "Extenuating circumstances are to be blamed for my understanding nature. But if this does happen again I can promise to be meaner next time."

Sakura rolled her eyes but smiled all the same, "Mind if we walk for a bit? It'll help my stomach settle."

He shrugged then turned towards the meadow near the end of the forest. It was a nice day in late spring. Grass always had beautiful weather and Sakura loved it for that reason. Her thoughts drifted back to the conversation on her birthday. Maybe when she finally decided to settle she would do it in Grass. That way she would be able to live in perfect weather for the rest of her days. Yeah…that sounded like a good plan.

"Why don't you just heal yourself?" Takeshi asked.

"Well…after everything I put you through I figured that I should at least suffer for what I did."

"That's unnecessary suffering Kaa-san…just heal yourself."

She shook her head, "It'll pass soon enough with all the walking we're doing. I've always had a high metabolism so my hang overs were never _really_ bad."

Takeshi gave her a sidelong glance, "How many times have you _had_ a hangover?"

Sakura smirked lightly, "My best friend Ino and I always went out drinking after one of us got back from a mission. Or if it was a weekend and we both didn't have to go to the hospital in the morning. I drank pretty regularly when I was younger."

"So in essence, your drinking has lessened since I've been with you."

"No, my drinking lessened when Itachi and I got engaged. He asked me to cut back on my consumption and I agreed. I was usually drunk three out of the four days of the week. So Ino and I talked and we decided only to go drinking on the weekends. Itachi liked me being sober over half drunk. I didn't stop completely until we started trying for a baby."

"How long was that for?"

Sakura turned her head to look at him, "We tried for three months before I was pregnant with you. We waited for a bit before getting pregnant because there was some unrest between the shinobi nations. Neither of us wanted to be vulnerable until things calmed down somewhat."

Takeshi hummed in understanding as they continued walking through the tall grass of the field. It really was a pretty sight. The grass was a light green and brown mixture and if they looked over at the hills that ran through the country they could see the wind rippling through the tall strands. Granted it was a beautiful view but it wasn't the type of view he was looking for.

The peaceful beauty didn't last for long when a large cloud of kunai shot out at them from behind.

"MOVE!" Sakura shouted and she jumped forward and to the side to avoid the flurry. Performing a quick seal she summoned her staff and crouched beneath the tall grass.

She shot forward and engaged with the nearest attacker and the first thing she noticed was the plain white mask. It was the same as the other kidnappers. Their apparel was also completely black, some were wearing half shirts, with only a weapon's pouch and a small tanto strapped to each attacker's back. That's when it hit her...

_Sai…Root…Konoha?_

They wanted to kill her. Why? Why was Root being sent after them it's not like they actually…

_He knows._

Root operates on a different authority. They are not completely loyal to the current Hokage. Sakura would bet her life that Naruto had no idea that Danzo was out for her blood. But the question still remained unanswered…why did he want her dead? That's the only piece of the puzzle that didn't fit.

Taking a short break from defeating her attackers Sakura surveyed the scene. Danzo had sent quite a number after them he obviously wanted them both dead for a reason and now she needed to figure out why. Did he know about Takeshi? Did he know that he was actually Itachi's son? What about Takeshi? Is he really the target?

Should she even tell her son where these guys actually come from? No…she couldn't…not yet. He would only see it as Konoha coming out to kill them. So now the question was why now? Why come after them now when they definitely aren't as vulnerable? Or was she that untraceable? Now Sakura was certain that Danzo was behind the kidnapping, why…to get them out in the open. He played on Sakura's personality so he could find her and bring her out in the open.

But why?

None of it made sense. He had never taken an interest in her while she was living in Konoha. She was beneath his notice so why now?

Takeshi.

He knew her son would be a powerful shinobi. With her perfect chakra control and Itachi's prodigal abilities the shinobi born would have amazing capabilities. He wants her son.

The mama bear came out in full fury. There was no way she was handing over her son over to Root. And if Danzo had to create a mission to lure her out then that meant that she did a hell of a job hiding. She fooled his old hide so much so that he had to commit treason. If she could pin the kidnapping on him then he would be tried and killed for his offense.

But for now she had to protect her son. Root was here to kill her and take him in. And she'd be damned if she let her son become an emotionless drone.

A surge of energy swept through her body as she collided with another group of attackers. Her brain was oddly focused on permanently ending this attack and slipping quickly back into the shadows. They would have to change their MO, after today the Twin Cats would be no more. She had to protect her son. The last person that tried to use her son or threatened her son was brutally killed by her own hand. Today wouldn't be any different.

With a surge of energy Sakura burst from the tall grass swinging her staff in a wide arch catching one Root attacker in the arm before immediately taking a defensive stance to block the oncoming men towards her.

Takeshi watched her from the corner of his eye. At first he thought she may have been injured but her burst from her hiding spot told him otherwise. He fought quickly though, knowing that she was in no condition to have a prolonged battle with her weakened body. If she wasn't injured now then she would be the longer this dragged out. So briefly turning his attention away from her spiraling staff he launched himself into the largest group cutting down men in his wake. His twin ninjatao spun quickly in his hands defending and also attacking simultaneously.

He did notice the same things as Sakura, these men were a part of the same group that kidnapped the Fire Daimyo's daughters. So the only logical thing to think was that this group wanted revenge on them for their killed comrades and missing money. But then he had to reason the how's and why's of the group being able to locate them so fast. Granted his mother wasn't concealing her vomit on their path but still.

According to the Hokage's information they completed the task two days before the intended due date. And depending on how far the group was hiding then Takeshi could estimate a good day's travel before meeting with the rest of the group. Then the rest of the group would have to travel to the meet place, discover the wreckage then backtrack. And that would have led them to Konoha.

So why in the hell are they attacking them?

Something about this situation just didn't sit right and he got an uneasy feeling that even though his previous thoughts were logical…they weren't entirely correct. He was missing something big but he didn't know what. After this fight he would have to discuss this matter with his mother. Maybe she could help him figure out the problem. For now, he had twenty more people to kill and little time to do it in.

These opponents were tougher than the first ones were that much was blatantly obvious. And luckily for Takeshi his sword master specifically trained him in countering multiple attackers at the same time. It was a delicate balance of defense while strategically and quickly countering with offensive maneuvers.

xXxXx

"_Remember Takeshi, when in the midst of battle it's important that your body remain loose but still in control."_

_Takeshi's dark green eyes narrowed, "How?"_

_His master smiled lightly, "Observe."_

_Takeshi watched intently as his master moved fluidly through a series of katas. His body bent and twisted but underneath it all Takeshi could see the small muscles in the wrist and arms moving with him. He knew that if anyone were to attack him in this state they would not be able to land a strike on him._

"_So basically it's similar to all your movements happen on purpose."_

_His master nodded, "That's correct. Right now your movements are still jerky as your move through the katas. Now we need to practice smoothing them out. Get into position."_

_Takeshi held his wooden sword out preparing to go through the first set of kata._

"_Good your posture and stance are perfect. Now close your eyes and envision the movements, anticipate where you're going to move."_

_Takeshi listened, his master knew what was best and the easiest way to make sure he learned the quickest. His master knew how important it was for him to be ready to help his mother. So very slowly and deliberately he went through the first kata. He pictured watching himself as if he were a clone taking in his movements. It worked for the most part but he could still feel his body stop between different movements._

"_Not bad for your first time but I trust you could see where you need to improve?"_

_Takeshi opened his eyes and nodded._

"_Good by tomorrow I want to see the first three kata routines perfectly smooth can you do that?"_

"_Hai!"_

_His master smiled and ruffled his hair._

xXxXx

Takeshi smirked under his mask. He had spent most of the night after that going through and smoothing out his technique. It was flawless by the time he showed his master the next day. And by the end of the week he could perform all ten katas in a slow smooth continuous motion. Takeshi felt he could probably go through his routine with his eyes closed and defend himself but for now that wasn't wise. Not every fight worked like clockwork, you can't always predict what your enemy was going to do. Especially with such skilled shinobi as his opponents they were trained to be unpredictable. But what happened next…he never would have been able to foresee.

The white masked attackers were closing in on Sakura. She cursed herself for not taking Takeshi's advice and just healing herself while she could. Her stupid pride once again got in the way and she knew it was going to cost her. What she didn't expect was for them to threaten her son in order to get to her. She should have anticipated it, she should have known that Danzo would risk his target's life to make her fall. In a way it seriously bugged her that Danzo could predict her so well. But in the moment that didn't matter. All that mattered was making sure her son was unharmed.

So when she saw the poisoned senbon thrown in his direction she immediately jumped in front of it. She could feel it puncture her shoulder then the poison started to spread and her breathing faltered. This poison was fatal if not treated and soon. Her initial diagnosis was the poison itself was garnered more towards making her muscles constrict. But she didn't have long to think about it as a blade slit her across her torso from her left ear to right hip.

"KAA-SAN!"

Takeshi watched the whole thing. His activated sharingan picked up everything that happened. He quickly ran to her location fighting off the one who maimed her by taking his arm.

"Halt!" a strong baritone voice sounded. All at once the attacking group stopped.

Takeshi knelt next to her and cradled her body. Sakura tried to speak but with the poison shutting down her system and the massive amount of blood she was now losing, he shushed her quickly.

"Panther-san, we have an offer for you." Takeshi looked up and glared hatefully at the one who spoke. "Our leader wishes for you to join his organization and become a member of our force. But in order to do so you must leave you partner behind. If you disagree then we will be forced to kill you."

Takeshi quickly glanced around him. He couldn't run for it. There were still thirteen guys some were wounded others seemed to be fine. And he sure as hell wasn't leaving his mother. They wanted him to join an organization? What kind of people kill the one they love just to join an organization? Scratch that, he couldn't dwell on that possibility right now. Right now he needed the most efficient way to escape this situation and to kill all these men. It was obvious they weren't just going to let him go. With one last look at Sakura's pained emerald eyes he set her down softly on the grass and sheathed his twin swords.

"Smart choice," the man took a step forward, "Now kill her so she doesn't have a chance to heal herself."

Takeshi growled and bit this thumb then applied the blood to his left hip. A sudden poof revealed a beautiful, long, gold katana he took in his right hand. He raised it and pointed the polished stainless steel tip at the speaker.

"I never said I was going to kill her. You kidnapped our previous clients, you followed us into this forest, and now you wish for me to kill my longtime partner all in the name of joining an organization I know nothing about," his aura darkened making a couple of the men shiver, "I will never join you and I swear when I find out who you work for I will slaughter every member of your organization. This I so swear."

The man grunted, "Then you have signed your death warrant."

Takeshi smirked, "Quite the contrary."

In a sudden movement the entire field erupted in flame burning everything in its reach while two people escaped the wreckage and fled to the safety of the forest.

Takeshi stood tall with Sakura in his arms and she twitched and hiccupped trying to stay conscious. The smell of burning flesh made both of their noses twitch and once Takeshi gleaned that he couldn't feel any lingering chakra signatures he took one look at his mother then ran like the wind.

He didn't know if it was a good idea but he knew that he wouldn't be able to help his mother the way she needed. His medic abilities only covered minor wounds not large scale healings. And if he was honest with himself the only person that could was back in Konoha. So with a heavy heart and clenched teeth he sprinted through the forest determined to reach the village in record time.

* * *

Naruto swore this meeting couldn't get more boring. But he had to sit through it, why? Because he decided he wanted to be the Hokage of Konohgakure. Therefore instead of non-stop legendary battles he was resigned to mountains of paperwork and meetings in order for the village to run smoothly.

He was currently in a large conference room sitting at the head of the table with his council and the civilian counselors sitting before him. Usually Naruto could admit that shinobi meetings weren't too bad. They mostly discussed current happenings around the world, any rouge organizations making themselves known, unrest between villages, etc. Those he found most interesting. But considering the civilian council was here this was more like an inventory of every grape to ever pass through Konoha's walls. Needless to say he wanted to bang his against the table about five times right now and he still had at least one hour left.

Luckily he already had lunch. Ichiraku, since he was a member of the civilian council, made it a point to bring the Hokage a bowl a ramen before the meeting so that the poor blonde could focus.

A loud bang and shouting in the halls interrupted the meeting as all eyes turned to the double doors leading into the room. Each shinobi present instantly stiffened waiting to see if there was an intruder waiting to make an attack on their Hokage. But they couldn't be more surprised to see two rouge ninjas burst through the door, both looking rugged and trashed.

Naruto's eyes widened as he recognized Panther's mask. He was carrying Leopard in his arms and the woman was still…almost too still. His eyes widened in realization right when Panther spoke.

"Tsunade-san," he gasped trying to regulate his breath, "You told us as we left that if we needed medical attention you would provide it. Leopard is injured beyond my level of repair. Can you help her?"

Tsunade instantly rose and immediately began checking over Leopard's condition, "She's been poisoned. How many days ago?"

"Two."

"Where were you?"

"Just entering Grass Country."

Her amber eyes widened, "You ran from Grass to Konoha in two days?"

Panther didn't answer only continued to breath heavily, "I've had to restart her heart twice can you help her?"

"Oi Tsunade-baa-chan, help them out," Naruto ordered.

The former Hokage bit her lip at being called granny but obeyed. It wasn't like she was going to turn them down anyway. This was Sakura! Not that the others in the room knew that.

"Follow me to the hospital," she ordered and they ran out of the council room.

The room was silent for a beat before low murmurings began wafting around the room. Many people were wondering why there were rouge shinobi interrupting an important meeting only to ask for medical assistance. Naruto was getting ready to silence the room when Sasuke beat him to it.

"Enough!" he ordered gruffly, "The two shinobi who entered recently performed a great service to Fire Country. In return they were offered medical assistance by Tsunade whenever they needed it as their payment. Further discussion is unnecessary."

Naruto backed up the statement with a firm nod of his head then the meeting picked up where it left off. But the blonde knucklehead Hokage wasn't quite satisfied. He caught his second-in-command's eye and Sasuke nodded discretely. Obviously Naruto wanted to know more about the how's and why's that the duo was back. Sasuke's job was to find out.

* * *

Takeshi was grateful that Tsunade had put them in a corner room. She led them through the hospital to a room right next to her hospital office. It was smaller only allowing for one occupant but it was on a quieter floor and regular nurses never entered it. If Tsunade ever had a patient in that room it was because she was personally working on a rare case.

Sakura was placed on the hospital bed her traditional black clothing ripped off her body while Tsunade examined her condition. Takeshi sat in a nearby chair too exhausted to stand the moment he placed her carefully on the bed. His limbs were shaking but he was trying hard not to show it. He couldn't appear weak to these Konoha shinobi, he needed to stay focused and alert in case anything happened to them while his mother was vulnerable.

"How did this happen?" Tsunade asked.

He took a deep steading breath to regulate his breathing before answering, "Ambushed by the same men who kidnapped the Daimyo's daughters. They sent about thirty men after us."

Her eyes narrowed, "So it was a large organization and not just a couple of rouges behind the kidnapping. That begs a lot of questions."

Takeshi remained silent. He wasn't about to share his theories with Konoha, he would find the organization himself and take it down. Nobody hurts his mother.

Tsunade noticed his pensive silence but didn't bother to ask. It was obvious that he was planning some type of revenge. She wondered how much he actually knew about the organization. From their last encounter there was still bad blood between them so any information sharing was probably slim to none. So she decided to try a different tactic.

"Are you her son?" she asked glancing up from her glowing hands.

Takeshi didn't answer, he just continued to stare blankly at the wall. He wanted to rub his eyes but forced himself not to. He can't show weakness in front of her.

Tsunade sighed, "It's obvious you two are close. To me it's also obvious that you are not physically intimate. And judging by the time that she's been gone…it would put you at sixteen."

"Why the hell do you care anyway?" he growled turning his face to look at her.

"I won't give anything away if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm only worried about her health. Nothing else matters." He turned and looked back at the wall.

"Alright I'll confess," she drew in a deep breath, "I've made many mistakes with Sakura. But my biggest mistake was not trusting her the day her little baby was born. If there was a time I would go back to, it would be that day so that this wouldn't have happened. I'll do anything to make it up to her."

Takeshi turned again to look at the older woman's face. He couldn't doubt the sincerity of her voice but he still didn't know her well enough to trust her with anything.

Tsuande could tell she hadn't gone deep enough yet to warrant an answer so she kept going, "I know Sakura. She's like my own daughter. I've loved her since the moment I started training her. She reminded me a lot of myself once you got past her terrible self-image. I spent days in my office going over the events that led her to leave the village. I know she never would have betrayed her husband the way everyone thought she did. But I let my emotions get the better of me."

He snorted, "Only fools allow themselves to make decisions based on emotion."

Tsunade smirked as her hands faded. She turned on a nearby sink and washed her hands clean of blood, "Clearly you've never spent enough time in Naruto's presence."

"And I don't care to."

"Fair enough," grabbing ointment from a cupboard she came back to the bed, "But I would like to know if you are her son…maybe even your name?"

"No."

She sighed again, "Turn around then I need to take off her bloody clothes."

Takeshi stood from his chair and turned to lean against the wall. With the older medic preoccupied he took the time to raise his mask and rub his eyes. What he wasn't expecting was there to be blood on his fingers when he pulled away. Alarm shot through him as he rubbed his face with his clean hand only for the outcome to be the same.

_What the hell?! I wasn't injured during the fight?_

Removing the bottom part of his mask he wiped his hands on the inside of his pants and tested the material. The result was more blood. How did he blood on his face? He kept his mother's body tucked tightly against his chest nowhere near his face, so the fact that blood was soaked on his face mask didn't make any sense.

"Oh…my…God…" he heard a whisper behind him.

He froze instantly. There's no way she could see him he was facing the wall. But said wall was right next to the window and he could clearly see the medic's reflection just as she could see him. Putting on a blank expression he turned to face her.

"You are a spitting image of-"

"Don't. Say. His name," he ordered eyes narrowing at her.

Amber eyes were wide, "I was right, you're her sixteen year old son. What's your name?"

"You don't get to know my name or anything else about me."

"There's blood on your fingers and some on your face. Are you injured?"

"No."

She gave him a skeptical look, "I'm finished with Sakura for now. Let me check you for injuries."

"No."

"You are just as stubborn as your mother."

He grit his teeth, "If you are finished then we are leaving."

"Well tough luck because you can't leave yet," she folded her arms and returned his glare.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because the poison is still in her body. She will be out for the next few days while it metabolizes."

"Then take the damned poison out so I can take her away from here," he demanded.

"I can't. After she was hit with what I presume is a poisoned senbon, she immediately began the metabolization process. To try and extract it would be futile and would cause her worse injuries. The fact that she had to metabolize it means it was a very fast acting poison so she was left with no other choice. So we just have to wait it out," she explained in a very matter of fact tone.

Takeshi growled then promptly sat back down in the chair, "Then you may leave. I don't want anybody in here that isn't you."

Tsunade nodded, "That I can understand. But if the Hokage does order or wish it, I cannot stop him from entering."

"You will stop him from entering unless you want to see him dead on this hospital floor," his eyes darkened and a hint of red started to bleed through.

Amber eyes narrowed in return, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that threat against our chosen leader. But I will do my best."

Takeshi nodded then turned his head, his eyes softening as they took in his mother's still form, "Leave us."

* * *

Tsunade made sure that the window on the door was covered in order to afford them privacy as well as anonymity. Technically as her only…family…he has the right to refuse anyone else from entering the room. Not to mention neither of them want Konoha to know who they are exactly. So she made her way back to Hokage Tower knowing that Naruto would track her down sooner or later. And she wanted to avoid him bursting into the room because she has no doubt that Sakura's son would try to uphold his promise.

_Her son…good Lord he looks just like Itachi. I knew you were faithful Sakura and with that evidence…you had to look at him every day as a reminder of our folly. I hope you forgive me for my betrayal._

Hinata was just stepping outside the office and greeted Tsunade with a smile, "Hello Tsunade-hime."

She nodded returning her smile, "Hinata-san, is Naruto busy?"

She shook her head, "No and he anxious to hear about the Cats."

"I bet he is."

She stepped into the office and immediately had to plug her ears.

"Oi! Baa-chan! How are they doing?"

"Naruto…it's one thing to call me that in private and it's another to call me that in public," her eyes narrowed at him.

He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry…old habits die hard."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes and took a seat on the couch, "Leopard is stable but will need to remain for a few days in order to make a complete recovery."

He nodded, "And Panther?"

"Uninjured but exhausted. He ran from Grass to Konoha in two days."

Ocean blue eyes widened, "Holy shit. He did?"

"Hai, he did."

"His stamina must be off the charts," Sasuke commented as he exited the Hokage's private bathroom.

"That's probably true considering I couldn't notice any signs of excessive soldier pill consumption on him. He was bleeding but he wouldn't let me examine him."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"He doesn't trust anybody. My guess is…he would probably stay injured until she was alert enough to heal him."

"So she's a medic then?" Sasuke asked pouring himself a cup of tea.

Tsunade shrugged, she needed to be careful not to give away Sakura's identity since she obviously didn't want it known and she made a promise, "They've been partners for a long while, my guess that if she were to die he wouldn't take on another partner."

Naruto smirked, "So they are together then."

"No, they are definitely _not_ physically intimate. They just have a deep bond of trust. It's obvious with how protective he is of her."

Naruto nodded, "So like me and Sasuke then?"

Tsuande cringed inside, _not even close_, "Something like that."

"So did Panther tell you anything about their circumstances?" Sasuke sat next to her drinking his tea.

The medic nodded, "He wasn't very forthcoming with information but he did tell me they were ambushed by the same people who kidnapped the Daimyo's daughters."

Naruto's eyes widened and he sat up straight in his chair, "What?!"

She nodded, "Yes so it seems that the kidnapping might have been a cover up for something else entirely. They sent a platoon of thirty men after them."

Onyx eyes narrowed, "That doesn't make sense. Why them?"

_Why indeed,_ she thought to herself, "I don't know but from the way he was talking…he's going to figure it out and exact a righteous vengeance on whoever is responsible." _It had better not be Konoha…_

At this moment Tsunade hated that she made that promise a week ago. But then again…if those two knew who was lying in the hospital right now they would both be in a crazy rush to get to her. It was probably better that they didn't know…for now at least. Kakashi had taken it in stride like he normally did with news like this. In a sense Tsunade thought he seemed unusually introverted on their run back to the village. He was probably feeling the same guilt they all were, even more so when Sakura called him out on his own techniques.

"I've built a base relationship with Panther so I'll keep prying to see what his theories are and keep you updated. Other than that…"

"I'll look into the initial abduction and all the evidence the Daimyo has," Sasuke stated, "Since we know it's the same group that should give us other clues for search. Maybe we can find out why they were targeted."

Naruto nodded, "Keep me updated Sasuke. We hired them and they got punished for it, we owe it to them to fix this problem."

He nodded then left for the messenger tower.

"Baa-chan, they killed one of those men because he knew about Leopard's past. She is probably the key to this problem. Try to find out as much about her as you can. Hopefully Panther will be more forth coming if we try to help them with that kind of angle."

She nodded, "I'll do my best Naruto but don't expect much out of Panther. And when Leopard wakes up…remember she wasn't big on talking." _Not to mention I already know everything about her. This might hit close to home. I'll need to tread very carefully._

He stretched in his chair, "Yeah I remember, just try your best."

* * *

He stepped out of the bathroom running a small towel through his wet hair. It'd been two days since he brought her to Konoha and she had yet to stir. His anxiety was driving Tsunade a little crazy but she put up with it. She had also informed him that Naruto was gathering all information regarding the kidnapping to see why they were attacked in the first place.

He already had an idea, but of course he hasn't shared that with her. They wanted him. They wanted him to join their "group". What he didn't know was why? Did they pick him because of the commissioned mission, or did they pick him before that and the mission was a test or initiation? Those questions were still unanswered and in order to get to the bottom of the problem they needed to be the first ones answered. Why him? What made him so special in the eyes of this organization?

Soft grunting called him out of his reverie. Takeshi instantly took his seat net to Sakura's bed.

"Kaa-san," he whispered.

"Ta…keshi…" she groaned while rubbing her eyes, "Where are we?"

He sighed and took her hand, "We're in Konoha."

She turned her head to look at him, "What?"

"I know. But your wounds were too advanced for me to heal. Your master offered her medical assistance so I ran you back here."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

"No, please don't apologize."

She started coughing and her son instantly shot to his feet and got her a cup of water. Sakura accepted it gratefully and slowly took sips.

"How long have I been out?"

"You passed out almost immediately after the fight. It took me two days to run here and you've been in this room for another two days."

"So four days total."

"Four and a half to five give or take."

She nodded setting her cup on the side table, "We're you injured at all?"

He shook his head, "Kaa-san I had to re-start your heart twice."

Emerald eyes widened at his words, "What?"

His dark forest green eyes dropped to the bed, "I couldn't rest until you were safe. I thought I had lost you…"

"Oh my baby," she reached for him, weakly pulling him to her chest, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"Don't…there was nothing you could have done."

"This is all my fault."

Takeshi whipped his head up his dark green eyes glaring at her, "Nonsense. They wanted me to kill you. If anything I'm to blame."

"No," she shook her head, "Listen to me and listen well alright." He nodded sensing the seriousness of the coming conversation. "The group that attacked us, I know who they belong to. I will tell you but you have to promise that you will go to Naruto and speak with him about it. He is the only one that can issue proper justice."

"Bullshit, we have always dealt out our own justice."

"Takeshi this is important please. Promise me you'll talk to him. You will need Konoha's help, promise me!"

This was obviously important to her and for now he would abide by her wishes, "Fine."

She sighed in relief, "Ok the group that attacked us was from Konoha." He stiffened, "Don't jump to conclusions and pay attention! The group that attacked us was from Konoha _but _they operate under a different set of rules. Their leader is Danzo and he's the commanding officer for what they call Root operations. Danzo is not and has never been loyal to the Hokage since he wants the seat for himself. He's older now and while still powerful he's not that much of a threat. His ANBU are only loyal to him and they perform many of the very…unethical and questionable actions for the village." She stopped talking to cough and Takeshi refilled her drink. "Thanks. So with that in mind it makes complete sense that he would go even as far as committing treason against Fire Country in order to bring me out of hiding."

"But why?" he asked his hands folded on the bed.

"Because of you."

His eyes widened in disbelief, "I…I don't understand."

"Danzo only accepts powerful shinobi into his ANBU. He recruits orphans with potential and willing members from within the clans. You, Takeshi, were going to be born from a prodigy and a Sannin. The Uchihas have _never_ allowed one of their members into Root. They don't agree with Danzo's practices. He knew that you would be powerful, think about it…the power you have now is a testament that he was correct in his assumption. He wanted you and the only way he could get you was by sabotaging me." His expression darkened again. "Thus he now has committed a felony against me since I was an active kunoichi at the time for this village and now he's committed treason against the country. If we can pin this on him, his trial will end in his death."

"Then how the hell are we going to pin all this shit on him? Not only are these accusations heavy but an ANBU leader wouldn't be so careless that he would leave any trace of evidence behind."

"You're right it'll be hard…but not impossible."

"Explain."

She smiled lightly, "Remember me telling you about my friend Sai?"

* * *

Tsunade had come and checked on them a couple hours later giving them plenty of time to hash out a preliminary plan of attack. Sakura was in lighter spirits seeing her master but still held some reserve when speaking to her. It broke the older medic's heart to see her apprentice, who she loved like a daughter, act mildly aloof towards her. But for now there was nothing to be done. She was surprised however, when Sakura's partner and son requested a meeting with the Hokage. Apparently he had taken an interest in talking and working with the village on their attack. Tsunade thought it was curious how two days ago he wanted nothing to do with this village and its leadership and now he was making demands. Well she wasn't going to argue, if she could get information out of him and Sakura then their investigation would go that much smoother and faster.

So now they both stood outside the Hokage's door waiting to be admitted.

"Are you going to keep me in the dark or let me in on your plan?" Tsunade asked glancing at Panther out of the corner of her eye.

"What makes you think I have a plan?" he answered in a monotone voice.

She snorted, "Don't play me for a fool. I was the Godaime Hokage, I see more than people realize. Not to mention a couple days ago you didn't even want to leave her side."

He remained silent as if he were contemplating how to answer, "If I did have a plan why do you want to know?"

"Sakura is like a daughter to me. Someone almost killed her and would have succeeded if you hadn't come to me. I want vengeance."

It was his turn to snort, "Now you want vengeance? Ridiculous…"

"I know I made a grievous error sixteen years ago," he turned at her morose tone, "I will do anything, and I mean _anything_ to make this right with her. I love that girl and it breaks my heart a thousand times over knowing I screwed up the one relationship I vowed never to defile."

He stared intently at the older woman, not that she could see his gaze through his black mask, but she could feel it, "How do I know you won't turn her over to the Hokage and this village?"

"Because the moment Sakura set foot in Konoha and didn't reveal herself I realized that she probably just wants to stay lost. If that is still her wish then I will help her, I owe her that much."

Takeshi wasn't a man who trusted easily but he was a man who knew when someone was being sincere and when someone was just kissing ass to get into his good graces. And aside from his mother this woman was the most sincere person he had ever met.

With a quick cock of his head they walked over to a small alcove in the hall.

"We know who's behind this," he stated simply. Amber eyes widened in shock, "What we need is proof."

"What kind of proof?"

"Proof of treason and proof of a criminal felony committed against an active fellow kunoichi sixteen years ago."

Shock was quickly replaced speculation, "That will be hard to dig up."

He nodded, "I know but it helps that the culprit resides here in this village. We will also need the help of one other person, someone who may still have intimate contact with this criminal."

"And who is that person?" She asked shortly.

"I need to be in contact with a man named Sai. And my partner wants to meet with him."

Tsunade's eyes widened, "If Sakura wants Sai, then Danzo is behind this attack."

He nodded again, "And he's behind her defection from sixteen years ago."

She gasped, her hand flying up to her mouth to cover the sound, "That rat bastard, I'll kill him."

"We have a plan and until we are in a more," he glanced around, "secure location then I will divulge. Until then we need to keep your current Hokage away from our information."

Her eyes narrowed again her hand fell to her wide in a clenched fist, "Why should Naruto not be involved?"

"Because one it will expose my partner! And two you gave your word!" he growled, "And after we get proof it will be easier to deal with him properly."

Her expression blanked at his declaration, "I did give you my word and you have it. I will _not_ lead my Hokage on a wild goose chase but I can stall information or the connections that will lead to Danzo until after we have concluded our investigation. Will that suit you?"

He pondered for a moment then nodded. It was probably the best deal he would get. And besides, a woman with her influence and connections, she would be a valuable asset to his investigation.

The Hokage's door opened and they casually stepped out of the alcove. Takeshi noticed that one of the Hokage's advisors was eyeing them suspiciously under a nonchalant gaze. It would seem he and Tsunade would have to be extra careful.

"Can we see him now Shikamaru?" Tsunade asked.

"Hai we're all waiting," the lazy genius replied then walked back into the door.

Takeshi wondered if the Hokage could ever have a meeting without a plethora of people in the room. Some of them he recognized and some he didn't. He was very disgruntled to see his father in the room but considering he was the Chief of Police he probably had to heel to every call of the Hokage. But whatever, he was here for information and nothing more. The sooner he killed this Danzo bastard for ruining his mother's and his life, the sooner his long awaited vengeance would be complete.

"Panther-san," Naruto smiled putting his hands behind his head, "Or can I call you Panther-dude?"

Takeshi internally sighed, "An eight year old child called me that Hokage-sama I assume you have more manners than that."

Naruto's smile only widened, "Still as brusque as ever."

"It's a personality trait. I hate flowered talk and bullshit. I prefer the harsh truth and facts," he answered.

"Another thing I now know and like about you. Although you could benefit from a little small talk."

"I only perform small talk on missions that require it. Every other time I find it a waste."

The blonde tsked, "You know you won't pick up any ladies with that up front attitude."

"I'm not looking for one." _Really? We're they really going to talk about this? How does this damn village even run?!_

"Ah ah," Naruto waved a playful finger at him, "Everyone at some point wants and needs a woman."

"May I respectfully ask that we change the topic," Tsunade grunted from her side of the room.

"Oi, you're ruining my fun," Naruto pouted.

"Get on with it dobe," Sasuke prodded from Naruto's right.

He sighed, "Fine. So," he clapped his hands together then placed them on his desk, "Sasuke has collected all the information from the Fire Daimyo about the kidnapers. We were told the group they work for ambushed you, are we assuming correctly?"

"Hai, they wore the same uniform," Takeshi responded.

"Good. So we are currently assuming that they probably had concealed sentries hidden near the meeting spot who tracked you back to Konoha then waited until you were a good distance away from the village before attacking. That way you and your partner wouldn't be receiving help after the service you provided to the village."

Takeshi nodded. This would definitely work if they were going to look outside of Konoha for their culprit, "A sound theory."

"Care to add anything?"

Panther shook his head.

"Well there is something missing and it deals with your partner," Naruto leaned back into his chair setting his feet on the desk, "The one you brought back knew her. I think she was their target from the beginning. Anything you can tell us about her?"

"She respects her privacy. I never asked her about her past and she never wanted to speak of it."

"Understandable but…they were probably targeting her for a reason. Do you know if she's being hunted?"

Takeshi shook his head, "The first time I asked her about her past she clammed up and didn't speak to me for three days. I haven't broached the subject with her again."

"Any information at this point will help," Shikamaru spoke up.

Now was the time to lie, "I know she grew up in a small shinobi village. When I found her she was in the middle of nowhere beaten and bleeding. I nursed her back to health and in return she promised me her medic skills and partnership. We've been partners for six years and this is the first time her past has come back to haunt her in any way."

"We need to research where she is from," Itachi interjected, "If the shinobi who captured the two girls are from that village then that's how they recognized her."

"Similar fighting style and chakra signature would definitely be a tip off," Shikamaru concluded.

"I'll try to talk to Leopard, maybe she will open up to a woman about her past, especially if it's particularly painful," Tsunade volunteered.

"Think that would work Panther?" Naruto asked.

He shrugged, "She never has before but then again she's never tried talking to a woman about it."

"That settles it then," the Hokage nodded, "Tsunade talk to Leopard then get with Kakashi. Hopefully if she tells you her village name then he can do ANBU research on it and come up with a motive."

"Give me Sai as well," she stated, "That way I'm covering _all_ ANBU. And I am the best one here to deal with that rat Danzo."

Naruto nodded seriously, "Alright you get Sai and Kakashi. Sasuke, you and Shikamaru go over the stuff we got from the Daimyo and try to make connections to known shinobi in other nations and villages. If we don't get a village lead then we will still have something to work with."

"Hai." They both responded.

"Itachi tighten the security around the village. With the Cats here those bastards might try to finish the job. I don't want them in my village."

"Understood," he nodded slightly.

"Anything else?" Naruto asked to the room.

"Only a request," Panther stated, all eyes turned to him, "When we find who is responsible _I_ will take care of their punishment." His emphasis on "I" had everyone watching him carefully.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked seriously.

"They attacked me and my partner without provocation. This justice belongs to _me_."

He nodded a slight smile on his face, "Would it be presumptuous of me to request a sparring session with you."

"That would be unwise."

_That's an arrogant statement_, Naruto thought, "Why is that?"

"I don't fight to train…I only fight to kill," Panther stated with a blank voice, "Your death by my hands would paint me in a very bad light."

"You really think you could kill me?" Naruto challenged with a wide mischievous grin.

_Since you have the Kyuubi inside of you probably not but without it, definitely yes_, "I would rather not answer that question. I must return to my partner, hopefully she will wake up today."

Naruto nodded and Panther slowly left the room.

* * *

**Please review things only get better from here, after a filler of course ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand here's chapter five. It'll answer a lot of questions that people have as well as...well you'll see what i mean ;)**

* * *

Sakura was nervous. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she was this nervous…ever. She shouldn't be, they were just people. Well they were people she had once been close to…not so much anymore. Maybe that's why she's so nervous. Either way she can't stay here. After they finish this crap with Danzo and she gets her long awaited vengeance she and Takeshi were leaving Konoha. She couldn't afford to stay here, at least here and not be drunk out of her mind so she couldn't remember that she was here…in Konoha…where everybody hated her…

"Stop fidgeting," Takeshi turned from the window to look at her, "They'll use it and exploit it."

"I'm nervous…and I'm not sure why."

"Well this situation sucks. You're forced to work with people who betrayed your deepest trust. If I were you I'd probably be nervous too."

Sakura smiled, "I love you Take-kun."

"I love you too Kaa-san."

Any minute now Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sai were going to walk through the door and she needed to pull herself together and be professional. Luckily she put on the perfect façade when they heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Takeshi called out as they both donned their masks. Sakura pulled her hair cover tight around her head.

As the trio walked in Sakura kept her head bowed only looking up once everyone had settled in the room.

"How are you feeling today Leopard?" Tsunade asked checking over her chart.

Sakura nodded.

"Well for our meeting today we have our two ANBU representatives. I think for the duration of this meeting that we proceed with full disclosure."

Sakura looked up at Tsunade getting the meaning. Next was Kakashi who looked like he was trying not to shift from one foot to the other. It was either nerves or excitement. And last but not least she looked at Sai. He looked exactly the same except a bit older, slight crow's feet around his eyes. She wondered how he developed those. But the most unexpected revelation was the silver band around his left ring finger. Shock ran through her system because never in her life did she expect Sai to tie the knot.

When she looked at Takeshi and nodded as he shrugged his shoulders. Obviously the cat, pun intended, would be out of the bag with this investigation. So in all reality it would be better to get everything out of the way now instead of down the line.

Sakura went first. She pulled her mask down exposing her bright pink hair. No reaction from any of them. She wasn't really expecting it considering Tsunade's jutsu made it so she still looked around twenty years old or so.

Takeshi went next pulling his black mask down before looking up at their visitors.

"Oh Kami-sama…" Kakashi whispered, his dark eye widened sorrowfully.

"Heh…I knew it."

Sakura was slightly stunned to see an amused expression on Sai's face.

"Why are you not surprised?" Takeshi asked him.

"Because if there was one word to describe Ugly, it was loyal. It would be grossly out of character for her to cheat on her husband. I thought everyone was a fool for reacting the way they did. And they are still fools for believing that she would actually let herself and her baby die. The moment you two adopted these personalities I instantly knew it was you. So the fact that you look exactly like Itachi is no surprise to me nor is it surprising that you are one exceptional shinobi with your mother's temper and slightly brash attitude. Not to mention you are haughty and arrogant like your fath-"

"I have no father," Takeshi cut him off. He just couldn't stand to hear himself described like that bastard that ditched her mother.

"Huh…interesting, but again not surprising that you harbor deep seated hatred towards the man who birthed you. Abandonment does that to a child especially when the mother was and probably still is very much in love with him."

"Stop," Sakura ordered drawing everyone's attention back to her, "Who are you and what have you done with Sai?"

He smirked at her, "I am still me, Sakura. Nothing much has changed."

"Bullshit."

"Fine, I can see how this is shocking to you. The answer is…I got married."

She snorted, "I see that. I'm wondering to whom."

"Your former best friend…Yamanaka Ino."

Her eyes widened in shock, "How?"

"I knocked her up."

Both Takeshi and Sakura snorted.

"Yeah her father wasn't happy hence the marriage, but I have found that after 13 years being married to her I quite enjoy life. And I've found out that most of my former research into human emotions was greatly limited, so in essence being married to a very expressive woman has not only helped my stunted emotion to surface but I've learned more about the human psyche than I ever could have before. I love my life, it's very interesting."

"And Danzo?" Sakura asked.

"Of course he doesn't approve which is why I'm not a full-fledged member of Root and I'm just a liaison between Root and the Hokage. Family ties in Root are frowned upon bordering on forbidden."

Sakura's eyes narrowed at his declaration, "He's threatened her, hasn't he?"

Sai didn't answer but his blank expression had a hint of anger behind it.

"I see…well then I guess it wouldn't be a stretch to say he's done the same thing to me."

"Not a stretch at all. What did he do?"

"He dyed my son's skin," she motioned to Takeshi, "Most likely it was because of something I ate considering I never had any injections or took any supplements that I didn't create myself."

Sai pondered, "In order for that to happen he had to have watched and studied your routine. And due to different pregnancy cravings he would have to anticipate where you would go. Not to mention he would have had to create a specific type of…dye that could be used in food without changing the look or the taste but also be able to keep a permanent look on baby skin." Sai turned his gaze to Takeshi. "Does your skin change color at all considering you are out in the sun for most of your day?"

"Not much, when we travel we keep every part of our bodies covered. If we are uncovered it's to bathe or on-" he stopped not wanting to give anything away.

"Or what?" Tsunade asked, "Full disclosure in order to nail this son of a bitch."

"The only other time our uniforms are off is for my birthday when my son takes me out to a nice restaurant to eat," Sakura answered.

"What about his birthday?" Kakashi asked.

"This isn't about me," Takeshi answered folding his arms.

"On the contrary this entire investigation is as much about you as it is about her," Tsunade answered.

"Either way the question is not relevant."

"Why are you so defensive about it?" she asked folding her arms and turning to face the stubborn teen.

"Because it's none of your concern what we do on my birthday," he growled.

"Panther," Sakura chided.

"No, they don't need to know because it's not pertinent to our investigation. So let's drop the subject," he turned his steely green gaze on her. She could see his own anger and pain in his eyes. He was protecting her by not letting on about her one day to get blind drunk.

"He's right…it's not relevant," Sakura reached for his hand which he gave.

Tsunade eyed them both, "Then how about we get your name."

"No. You may call me Panther. That is all I am to you and it will be the only name you will know me by. I don't want and can't risk people knowing my real name. And considering I only have _one_ name, it's fairly important for it to be kept secret."

The silence that followed that statement was heavy with accusation as well as guilt.

"And need I remind you Tsunade-san about your previous promise to me. That all information we uncover will be delayed in being relayed to your Hokage. Otherwise we will conduct this investigation on our own."

"I remember and you still have my word," she growled at him.

"Good then let's cease this useless banter and get down to our plan of attack."

"You two drive a hard bargain," Kakashi stated looking at Sakura.

"Being a rouge shinobi will do that to you…especially if you're female," Sakura replied in a bland tone, "But he's right we've officially passed pleasantries now let's focus on our goal."

"What is our goal exactly?" Sai asked.

"Justice and vengeance against Shimura Danzo," Sakura answered.

He nodded, "So everything we get needs to be damning. It'll make Naruto happy at least."

"Honestly I can't even believe that man is still alive."

Tsunade snorted, "Believe me I know. He has to be using some type of jutsu or something. Unfortunately I can't figure it out because he never comes in for medical assistance. And even I couldn't get him to agree to anything while I was Hokage. That, in and of itself, is cause for suspicion. I'm assuming it's some type of forbidden jutsu that he's using."

Sakura nodded, "I agree. If it is forbidden then we can nail him on that too. The main issue will need to be a felony attack against an active kunoichi."

"Not assault?" Kakashi asked.

"No, assault implies that he had to have a confrontation with Sakura which he didn't," Tsunade explained, "Attack implies anything from a physical altercation to poisoning. Which is what I'm guessing you want to file this under."

Sakura nodded, "Technically he did put something in my body that had an effect on me and since it infected me it also affected my baby. But we will need proof, the recipe he used or something. There's no way that I'm the first victim and if I am then he will probably use the same type or a variety of the 'poison' on others."

"Why were you targeted in the first place?" Kakashi asked.

"Because of me," Takeshi answered, "Danzo wanted me considering the Uchiha have never allowed their clan members to become members of Root. So he sabotaged my mother in order to get the child born from a prodigy and perfect chakra control. Naturally a child with such a mixture could be nothing short of exemplary which is exactly what I am. Obviously he underestimated how well my mother hid us. Which reminds me Sai…why didn't you report us if you knew who we were?"

"Just because I know Danzo and was once a subordinate, does not mean I tell him anything of import. Nor would I confide in personal matters with him. My observations were my own just like they are now."

Takeshi smirked, "You may be the only person in Konoha I might actually come to like."

Sai smirked at the boy while Sakura hit Takeshi in the arm.

"Don't be rude."

"It's part of my personality."

She sighed, "Getting back on topic. The next thing we need to pin on Danzo is his treasonous kidnapping of the Daimyo's daughters. Obviously he couldn't find me to get to Panther so he had to create a ruse that would appeal to me to bring us out in the open. Most likely he had been planning that for a while and that should be the easiest to convict."

"How so?" Tsunade asked.

"The masked man we brought back. I'm sure Sai still has his curse seal placed on his tongue?"

Sai nodded, "It's there but inactive. Ino helped me release the jutsu while still keeping the mark on for appearances sake."

"If you look at the dead man's tongue you'll see a similar mark. That means either the summons that delivered the messages is his or one of his ANBU. Either way he is guilty for their kidnapping."

"Sakura has a point," Kakashi mused, "Convicting him of kidnapping will be the easiest. It'll be harder to try and find that recipe that is if he hasn't destroyed it. Where would be the most likely place to hide it?"

"I'd say either in the safe in his office, he keeps many important documents there, or it's in the lab."

"What is this lab for?" Tsunade asked.

"It was Orochimaru's work space when he was in Root. Now it's just an area that a few men use to make their own poisons and such. My guess is he had a team concocting different dyes until he had one that worked," Sai said.

"Is there anything you remember eating a lot of or anything that you ate all three trimesters?" Tsunade asked Sakura.

She pondered for a moment, "I'll think about it."

"Well we have our plan let's get to it," Kakashi said as she bid farewell and strode out of the room.

* * *

Takeshi stood still in the middle of the training field. Sakura had pointed him in the direction of the training fields a week ago. Now everyday he found himself out here in the early morning hours. He had to keep himself in check, he had to keep his skills up in case things here got out of hand. If they had to make a quick get-away Takeshi knew his mother wouldn't raise her hand against a Konoha shinobi. That meant everything was up to him.

She was getting stronger apparently in order to completely metabolize the poison it needs to completely bond with her body making her immune to its effects. While fascinating it also prolonged her healing. But every day she was getting stronger and once she was strong enough she could assist in the information gathering.

Taking a deep breath he fell easily into his stance and drew his twin ninjatao from their sheaths. He closed his eyes and took in his surroundings through his other senses. Smell: early morning air was crisp and moist with morning dew from the grass. Hearing: birds whistled welcoming the morning sun. There was also a slight breeze that rustled the leaves in the trees. Touch: he could feel the sun's heat lightly caressing his face. His swords were comfortable in his grip as if they were extensions of his arms. In another second he was moving.

With slow precision he shifted his feet while his hands twisted in response. In the quietness of the morning the steel from the blades sang quietly as they passed through the morning air. He reveled in their steady song, a testament to his intimate knowledge of his weapons. His feet moved steadily each step taken with careful precision another testament to his dedicated training. He knew these katas backwards and forwards but at times it was always best to check ones-self to make sure even the basics were still perfectly drilled into his mind's eye and body.

Switching from offense to defense Takeshi twirled his swords around his body as if deflecting a 360 approach of shruiken. The swords sang louder, the steel ringing with every twist and turn as he picked up speed. So in tune he was with his surroundings he immediately knew when another person stumbled into his quiet training area. Without hesitation he flung one of his blades towards the intruder. A piercing shriek echoed loudly against the quiet air and he opened his eyes to see who had interrupted him.

A relatively tall yet petite woman stood near the tree where his sword was imbedded. She had jet black hair pulled up high in a tight bun.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Takeshi asked gruffly.

"Shh!" she responded as she pressed her ear close to his blade.

He was baffled…_did she just "shush" me?_

Taking steady steps he walked over towards the young woman and asked again, "Who are you?"

She opened her eyes and he was momentarily taken aback by the most stunning chocolate brown eyes he had ever seen.

"Your sword has a beautiful song."

If she could have seen his face she would probably chuckle at his dropped jaw, "What?"

"Your sword, this ninjatao, you two must have quite a history for to sing so loud that another person can hear it," she reached her hand out to stroke the blade.

"Don't!" he stopped her and pulled it out of the trunk, "I don't let other people touch my swords."

"I understand…I'm sorry for reaching," she bowed her head slightly in apology.

He was still baffled by this girl but so far she had done nothing to warrant his ire so he kept being polite, "Accepted."

She smiled leaving him momentarily breathless, "My name is Tai Lee, pleased to meet you." She curtsied her eyes never leaving his.

"Panther."

Her brown eyes widened, "Oh my…I mean…no way! Are you really Panther from the Twin Cats?"

Now he was suspicious, "I am."

"Where's your partner?"

"Elsewhere at the moment."

"Well it's an honor to meet you. I've heard so much about you from my mother. It's been kind of a goal of mine to meet you in person. I can't believe you're here in Konoha!"

"Who's your mother?" It was unnerving that this woman knew of him. He had to find out why and who she was immediately.

"Oh my mother is the resident weapon's mistress Tenten and my father is Rock Lee," she answered proudly with her hands on her hips. "I don't like my last name much and my father was determined to name his first born son after him. So in order to appease him since he got a girl instead of a boy my mother gave me a name that sounds just fine alone without having to use my surname."

"That still didn't explain how you know me or what you're doing here."

She sighed, her eyes narrowing, "Well I'm here because someone was at my training area and this is my second favorite spot. And my mother's parents are traveling merchants. They do a lot of business in the villain of artisans. My grandpa was there when you had your swords forged and he told my mother that he had never seen a better swordsman than you. And he had seen plenty in his travels but no such man ever had as easy a connection to his weapons as you did with your swords."

Speechless again…he didn't like that he was always speechless around this woman.

"Can I train with you? It would be a great honor to train with the best swordsman in the world."

"No."

She stuck her lip out in a pout, "Why not?"

"I don't train with others."

"Well can I see your katana then? Grandpa said it was one of the most beautifully crafted blades he had ever seen."

He debated for a moment but he figured he couldn't see the harm in just showing her, especially since she already knew about it. Most people do not know that he carried a katana since he always kept it hidden.

"As long as you don't tell anyone else about it I will show you."

She clapped while jumping up and down a couple times, "I promise."

He smirked under his mask then performed the hand signs. A long golden sheath appeared on his left hip, the hilt of the sword wrapped in dark maroon. With a single fluid motion he drew the blade and held it out towards her. A deeper resonating hum bounced between them as he took a deep breath drinking in the blade's song. When he opened his eyes he noticed Tai Lee doing the same thing.

"Magnificent. It's louder than the ninjataos. This blade holds more power than the other two put together."

"It does."

"Did you also have this forged for you?"

He shook his head, "It was a gift from my master. He gave it to me after I completed my training with him."

"Oh," she looked longingly at the blade, "I wish I had someone like him to train me. It's always been my weakest spot. Give me kunai, shruiken, senbon, a mace, morning star, spears, tonfa, sickle and chain, sais, a quarter staff, give me anything else and I can master it. But katanas…there's something about them that I can't master."

The fact that Takeshi was still here talking to this woman said a lot about her character. She was another genuine person and he admired that about her. He also recognized the names Tenten and Rock Lee as some of his mother's friends and members of the infamous Konoha 12. She didn't look to be much younger than he was, probably 15, 14 at the youngest. He didn't recall hearing his mother say that they were a couple when she left but people change. Still if she was as accomplished in other weaponry it's almost laughable that swordplay evaded her. Maybe he could give her one hint.

"You need to redefine your approach when using a sword," he told her as he sheathed his stainless steel blade.

Her eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"You told me you could master any weapon given to you, everything except the sword."

"Hai."

"A sword is not a weapon that you master. A sword is a weapon that becomes a companion, an extension of yourself. Having the blade in your hand should feel as natural as holding a cup of tea. If you have that connection to your blade then swordplay will come more easily to you."

She pondered his statement for a moment then bowed, "Arigato Panther-san. I shall take what you said and apply it to my training."

"Who is your sword master?"

She stood up smiling sheepishly, "I don't have one. My sensei isn't very adept at sword play and I haven't been able to…find another to teach me. Since I can't find anyone else I have been perfecting my techniques with all other weapons until I find an instructor."

His eyes narrowed, "Are you saying that there is not one sword master in this village?"

"Oh no there are! It's just I've asked and they are really busy doing other things so they don't have time to train me."

If he could rub his eyes he would, but considering his mask was still in place he'd have to forgo that option for now. "Listen, another piece of advice, pick the right blade. Shop around for the perfect blade; not too long and not too short. Pick them up, test the weight and how it feels in your hand. You will know the right blade because it won't feel like a weapon it'll feel like the extension of your arm. If all else fails have someone forge you a blade."

She smiled a megawatt smile, "Oh thank you, thank you! I will definitely take you advice. I've only been using my mother's swords and they just aren't right for me. Thank you! You've given me more help than anyone ever has. I promise to better myself with your advice I swear it!"

Ok now she was making him feel uncomfortable. Who in the world makes outrageous claims just over a bit of advice? It was time to get out of there before he did something else to warrant more weird behavior.

"Good luck training. Goodbye," he stated as he walked out of the field.

"Bye Panther-san I hope to see you around the village!" Tai Lee called as he walked away.

Takeshi was still flabbergasted not only by her behavior but also by his. He never indulged women in conversation considering if he ever showed his face they just swooned which drove him nuts. But with her, Tai Lee, he'd never met someone like her before. She was sweet but spunky, robust yet timid. It was an interesting mix. But most of all, she asked about his swords and not him. He wasn't sure how he should feel about that but overall he didn't mind it.

Unbeknownst to him he wore a goofy smile from the training area all the way back to the hospital room. And unfortunately for him his mother caught the smile when he took his mask off after closing the door.

"Alright spill it, who's the girl?" Sakura's smile was wide and excited.

Takeshi stopped in his tracks, "What are you talking about?"

"There is no other explanation for the biggest smile I have ever seen on your face. So who is she?"

He grunted a light blush staining his cheeks.

"Oh my gosh! You have a crush!"

"I do NOT!" he defended, "She interrupted my training and I gave her some advice. That's it. There's no crush or any feelings involved."

"You are lying!" she clapped her hands, "What's her name? Please tell me you were at least cordial to her?!"

"I'm not a brute. Her name is Tai Lee."

"No surname?"

"She's the daughter of Tenten and Rock Lee. She doesn't like to use her surname."

Sakura's jaw dropped and her eyes widened to the size of saucers, "You have got to be shitting me? Please tell me you're joking?"

"Why would I joke about that?"

"I just…I mean I swear Tenten and Neji had a thing. But Tenten and Lee…married…having children? Kami-sama I hope all those kids look like Tenten. So tell me what did she look like?!"

He narrowed his eyes, "What difference does it make?"

Sakura growled, "Any girl to actually stop and make you talk to her has to be something special. And honestly with as good looking as you are she has to be at least decent looking. And since you said her parents are Tenten and Lee I'm praying to the Kami above that she doesn't have big, bushy, disgusting, intense eyebrows."

This actually caused Takeshi to laugh, "I think I would've remembered big, bushy, disgusting, intense eyebrows. But from my observation she has black hair and beautiful brown eyes."

Sakura smirked at her son, "Did you say _beautiful_ brown eyes?"

"No."

"Don't lie."

"I didn't say that."

"You totally did!"

"Stop putting words in my mouth."

"Oh you are soooo not getting out of this. She totally caught you AND caught you off guard which explains that dopey smile on your face."

"Ok enough!" he ran a hand through his dark hair, "She did catch me off guard but she was interested in my weapons so I gave her some advice. That's it! She was there to train herself so I gave her the training field. There was nothing _else_ going on between the two of us."

Sakura folded her arms eyes him skeptically, "Fine…I'll let it go but I reserve the right to revisit this later."

"No I will not indulge this conversation. It's over as of now."

She growled, "Fine but when I can get out of this bed and become a normal person again you are showing me who she is."

"No."

"Yes."

"I refuse."

"I insist."

"I will never see her again."

"I don't believe you."

"Why?"

"She is obviously taken with you. I know you're hiding more of the conversation than what actually went on. I'm willing to bet that she's going to 'interrupt' more training sessions in the future. And on the off chance I bet you may even seek her out."

Sometimes it bothered him how insightful his mother could be. And the most irksome part of it was that he couldn't deny the validity of her statement. He knew he would see her again either by both of them being at the training fields or she would come find him or vice versa. Now he was just mad that he indulged her at all, he doesn't want to form any personal relationships here because they weren't staying.

"Can we please just drop this subject for now?"

Sakura took a moment to cypher through her son's emotions. Sometimes he forgot to school them and this was one of those moments. She could see and feel his frustration at this encounter. But she knew that being as anti-girl as he has been that he's either afraid of the change or he just has no idea how to process what he was feeling.

"Alright. I'll drop it for now."

He glared at her.

"What I'm only saying that if and when you wish to actually confide in what happened I'm all ears. And if you need help sifting through the various emotions I'm here. Always have been and always will be," she smiled softly at her son.

He nodded, "Arigato Kaa-san."

* * *

"The Hokage is getting frustrated. We're going to need to give him our information soon," Tsunade stated taking a seat inside the hospital room.

"Well what do we have so far?" Takeshi asked.

"I was able to recover a recording of Danzo issuing orders for the kidnapping. That along with the body that Tsunade-hime is preserving will be sufficient enough to convict for the kidnapping. I have scoured the lab area for any hint of a type of poison that would dye your skin but have come up empty," Sai spoke stoically.

"Can we tie the recording to either of them?" Tsunade asked.

"Not really it only covers the plans for the kidnapping. If and when he issued orders for The Cats he probably did it in an unofficial manner and not where it could be recorded."

"Yo!" Kakashi called as he walked into the room.

"I see some things never change Kakashi," Sakura smirked.

He smiled in return, "I would hate for my reputation to be tarnished Sakura-chan."

"Surely I'm too old now for such honorifics."

"Not in my eyes. You look just as you did years ago."

She sighed then turning away from the group, "A trick I learned from someone."

Takeshi walked over and gripped his mother's arm lending her his strength. He really hated how the smallest things always seemed to hurt her.

"Anyway," Sai cleared his throat to relieve the awkward tension, "I think that no matter how we try to pursue this someone somewhere is going to figure it out. Especially once we leak this information to the Hokage."

"Let's not give it to him all at once," Tsunade interjected, "How about we save the recording as a trump card and only let Naruto in on the body. It's an easy give and I'm sure Danzo already knows we have a body. Kakashi what do you have?"

"A list," he tossed a scroll towards Sakura, "It's everything that was catalogued in ANBU archives fitting the description of the poison."

Sakura broke the seal and opened the scroll. She scanned quickly over the contents taking in everything at once.

"Anything?" Takeshi asked.

She shook her head, "Nothing comes to mind but I'd like to keep this if you don't mind."

Kakashi nodded, "No problem."

"So we share our information about the body that way Nauto's wild goose chase around the country can come to an end?" Sai asked.

Everyone nodded.

* * *

It was curious to Itachi how independent Panther seemed to be. Yet at the same time he was completely dependent on his partner. Every day since their arrival he had watched them; that same nagging feeling that had been bothering him was out in full force with their long stay in the village. It was easy to get down the routine: in the morning Panther left to train where he would be in the field for two to three hours. Tai Lee showed up occasionally begging him to train her. Then afterward he would sprint to the village and spend most of the day in the hospital room with his partner, only leaving to get them lunch and dinner from various restaurants.

The fact that he couldn't get this nagging sensation out of his head bugged him like nothing ever had before.

Midori had noticed his change in demeanor and questioned him. He told her honestly that there were a couple of visitors in the village that he was unsure of and that he was keeping a close eye on them until they left the village. She only nodded her head in support then stated that his children were missing him at dinner. That made him feel slightly guilty considering he had virtually abandoned his seat as a father in favor of stalking the two visitors. So tonight he was going to make sure he was home for dinner so as not to neglect his children…or his wife…

If he could just figure out who they were!

The hospital was always closed off, the window never opened. Tsunade must have put a concealing jutsu on the room because whoever was inside he couldn't feel their chakra and he couldn't hear any of the conversations held within. It was sure making his job harder trying to figure out who they were. He had reported it to the Hokage under the guise of protecting the village but Naruto just shook him off. Since Panther was helping in the kidnapping investigation Naruto was giving him the privacy that he wanted. But it still bothered him that he didn't know who they were.

They've operated under the radar for so long and they were overly careful that nobody anywhere knew of their real identities. Their caution was reason for concern; they obviously had something to hide. Rouge ninjas everywhere slipped up once in a while, but not them and it was unnerving.

He had to figure it out, if he didn't it was going to drive him to the brink of insanity.

* * *

Naruto sat in his office pondering his findings which were bleak at best. Sasuke and Shikamaru couldn't find anything pertinent to the investigation and he could only hope that Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sai had better success.

"Naruto," Sasuke opened the office door, "We're all here for the meeting."

"Bring everyone in."

Tsunade, Kakashi, Sai, Sasuke, and Shikamaru all entered and stood by his desk.

"I hope you guys have something good because we're at a loss on our end," the Rokudiame sighed rubbing his hands in his hair.

"We have disturbing but at the same time expected information," Tsunade stated.

"Which is?"

She opened a scroll and released the seal. The dead body hit the floor with a thud.

"He was part of the kidnap group," Naruto stated wrinkling his nose at the smell.

"Hai but that's not the interesting part," Tsunade said, "This is."

She picked up the dead man's head and forced his mouth open. Producing a pair of tongs she pulled the man's tongue out as far as it could go. The tattoo showed clearly making Naruto look up.

"What does this mean?"

Sai answered, "It means he's one of us because I have the same mark on my tongue."

Naruto gasped while both Shikamaru and Sasuke sighed.

"You're right that's not very surprising," Shikamaru said, "What should we do about this then?"

"Nothing."

Everyone looked at Kakashi.

"Why?" Naruto leaned forward in his chair.

"Because we need hard evidence. One body isn't enough."

"But it's a decent start," Sasuke stated looking down at the dead man, "With the suspicion we can have him arrested and detained."

"If we show our cards now he could get away with it," Tsunade said.

"That isn't likely," Shikamaru raised a brow, "Panther stated this man was at the site. The summons had no definable markers for the village which either indicates no affiliation or black ops. And the fact that he orchestrated the kidnapping is proof enough of treason with a sentencing of death."

"Let's just say I have a feeling he's been getting away with more than just treason," she continued, "Trust me on this. If we're going to be taking down Danzo once and for all I want to get every piece of information on him as I can."

Naruto looked between all his comrades. He liked and admired Tsunade's determination, and he knew she had been looking to gut that old geezer for years. Kakashi held the same feeling; he could see it in his eyes. There was definitely something off about Sai…he seemed almost intense as if he anticipated something big was about to happen. Sasuke, he could tell, was mulling things over in his head; trying to find possible solutions to what was going on and how much Danzo had probably gotten away with. And Shikamaru was eyeing Tsunade with his lazy intensity. Something was going on here and it seemed the best course of action was to let the ANBU team continue with whatever they are planning.

"Well keep this to ourselves for now. Whatever you guys are planning, make sure everything is irrefutable."

The trio bowed, "Hai Hokage-sama."

Shikamaru followed them out as they left the office, "What is going on that you aren't telling me or Naruto?"

They all turned regarding him stoically.

"Whatever do you mean?" Sai asked.

Shikamaru's eyes turned to Tsunade, "You're planning something with Panther. That talk I caught you having, his sudden willingness to share information, the suspicious circumstance of that dead body you carry in the scroll. It's all rather suspect…bordering on personal."

"It is nothing for you to concern yourself about at this time," she answered as the group started walking away.

"Maybe not but I'm willing to bet it heavily involves a certain banished kunoichi." They stopped in their tracks but left their backs to him. "I understand the need to keep it quiet. Both Naruto and Sasuke are and always have been unreasonable with any information in regards to her."

Tsunade turned back around, "I don't think I'm ever going to stop being surprised with how much you know and how easily you piece things together."

"We could finish everything that much faster," Kakashi whispered.

"We could yes, but we'd have to check with Panther first," said Sai.

Tsunade glanced at both of them then back at Shikamaru, "Come with us."

They walked in silence until they reached the door to the hospital.

"Shikamaru I have to ask Panther first if he wants you brought it. If he doesn't then you'll just have to wait with the others." He nodded in understanding. "Do not knock on or enter the door. If he agrees then one of us will come out and get you."

"Hai, I'll just sit right here." He took one of the seats outside Tsunade's office.

Tsunade knocked then entered a second later with both Kakashi and Sai following.

"Sakura, Shikamaru wants in on the case. He has a few theories and has reasoned it out by himself who you are. He is willing to either help out or to just wait for us to conclude our investigation." Tsunade sat in one of the chairs by the bed.

"Why him?" Takeshi asked arms folded.

"What do you mean?"

"Why does he know everything? Are we not guarding ourselves good enough?"

"He knows everything because he's a certifiable genius," Kakashi answered slouching against the wall, "He figured everything out on his own through observation and the limited information that we have."

"Not to mention that he was suspicious of us when he spotted us conspiring outside of the Hokage's office."

Takeshi nodded, "So he was the one that came out. His eye is keener than I anticipated."

"He would be a great asset. And since technically he already knows the full disclosure won't really be a problem. Not to mention he's used to keeping secrets considering he either figures everything out himself and he works in high level intelligence," said Tsunade.

"Do you have a problem with it?" Takeshi turned and asked his mother who was sitting cross legged on the bed.

Sakura sighed and started rubbing her temples. With the added people joining the case it was just going to make it harder for her to leave. Her heart was breaking with every minute they spent here. But at the same time she had waited for this moment since she left, she had waited for this vengeance to be complete. She couldn't turn her back on it now.

"Bring him in," she whispered keeping her head bowed.

Sai walked over to the door and waved him over. Shikamaru entered the room taking in the scene. Familiar pink hair sitting on top of a hospital bed, Tsunade sitting next to her apprentice, Kakashi slouching against the wall, and Panther's back facing the door.

"Panther we are operating this on full disclosure. You can't keep your back turned forever," the Godaime reminded him.

He watched as Sakura's green eyes found his while Panther slowly turned around revealing a face that was no surprise to him.

He let out a long sigh, "Ino is going to murder you Sakura."

That made her smirk, "Why do you say that?"

"Because you didn't stand up for yourself and because your child is the spitting image of his father."

"Yeah," she sighed lightly, "I suspect if I get the chance she's gonna give me an earful. Oh well let's continue our discussion. How did Naruto take the news?"

"Exactly as expected," Tsunade replied, "We are continuing our investigation our way and he is now aware that this was an inside job."

"So what's the next step?" Takeshi asked.

"We need to solidify the poison. Once we have the brew figured out then we can search for ingredients and maybe, if we're lucky trace elements," Tsunade stood and started pacing the room.

"Are we sure it's a poison?" Shikamaru asked.

"What do you mean?" Sakura leaned back on her bed.

"Did you see consistent doctors, what about the pampering that Ino took you out to every month. And it may not even be a specific food that you ate but more than likely a specific restaurant," Shikamaru reasoned.

"Her doctor was me."

"Yes Tsunade always saw me. Our pampering consisted of non-chakra based massage and such. I highly doubt an oil used to rub me down was able to seep into my skin and affect my child without the assistance of chakra. And I can concede to food and restaurant. After thinking through it I consistently ordered raspberry tarts from that small family pastry stand a couple blocks away from the Uchiha Compound. Are they still in business?"

Kakashi nodded, "They are. We can check employee records for the time that Sakura was pregnant; who worked and left during that time."

"Kakashi that's you," Tsunade nodded at him.

"And the poison used?" Shikamaru asked.

"I've narrowed it down to three. The first is a common food dye that could easily be injected into the center raspberry sauce, but of course that would've had more of an effect on my own person. That only leaves these two," she handed a small paper to Tsunade.

"Chromelin and dyoderm," she handed it off to Shikamaru, "Neither of these are poisons."

Sakura nodded, "I know and after metabolizing whatever poison that is still sifting through my system I realized that if it was a real bon-a-fide poison I would have felt some type of effect and you and Shizune would have no doubt sensed it during my delivery. So I concluded it had to be some type of skin dye used in undercover ops. These two are the only ones that when absorbed into the body leaves no trace evidence on the skin."

"Both of these dyes can be easily accessible in either ANBU or Root," Shikamaru stated.

"Indeed which obviously required someone to pull any recordings from that time," Takeshi smirked as he held up medium sized scroll.

"How did you get that?" Tsunade demanded.

He flipped it in the air, "Easily enough. That is all you need to know."

"To access any information in ANBU requires clearance," Kakashi's eye hardened, somebody had seriously dropped the ball if that man was able to access classified information.

"Luckily for me your archive room is situated next to a window. This passage here," he opened the scroll a little ways, "Shows that a large consignment of the dye chromelin was acquired by the Root organization on September the 30th. My mother informed me that the clan and village knew of my conception two weeks before that. What a mighty coincidence that Root had a large batch delivered of the colorless dye so soon afterward. According to the details contained that describe the dye, it's a slow process that dyes the skin gradually with each application." He closed the scroll then tossed it at Kakashi who stored it in his pocket. He would obviously have to check on the archive room later.

"Chromelin…" Tsunade rubbed her eyes, "Odorless, tasteless, designed specifically to color skin for short periods of time."

"Unless it is altered. I'm sure there's some type of additive that caused it to be permanent. I'm willing to bet that my internal organs show signs of the dye. If we biopsy my uterus we can run a diagnostic to confirm," Sakura stated easily, "Easily concealable inside my raspberry tart."

Tears sprang forth in Tsunade's eyes and she fought hard to keep them from falling, "Sakura…I-"

"I don't want to hear it."

Jumping from her chair the former Godaime paced the room, "Will you never allow me to apologize?"

"The past is the past there is nothing we can do to fix it. Apologies are useless."

Her fist hit the wall, "Goddamn it Sakura! When will you allow me to make amends for-"

"If there is nothing more to discuss then I suggest you leave," Sakura interrupted in a hard voice.

Tsunade paused in shock, her tone was not what she was expecting.

"I'm not that girl anymore," she continued in a clear but firm voice, "Don't expect me to be the same person that I was when I left. I've changed. You would all do well to remember that."

The ensuing silence was heavy with her last statement, they were unsure whether to take that as an advisement or a warning.

"I think we're done for today," Takeshi finally spoke calmly, "Leave."

Everyone filed out except for Shikamaru.

"That meant you as well."

The lazy genius shot Takeshi a glance, "You're not staying are you?"

Sakura's emerald eyes hardened as they met his, "Why do you care?"

He sighed, "Because once this gets out into the open, all of this information, everyone is going to know who you are. And you know that Sasuke and Naruto are not going to let this go. They've been looking for you ever since you left. Not to mention the wreck Itachi has become."

"Don't. Say. His name," she barked her focus now turned towards the bed sheets, "He means nothing to me."

"…..I see."

"Just leave me be Shikamaru."

He turned towards the door but paused before exiting, "It won't matter what new identity you assume after this. They will be relentless and you won't be able to hide from them anymore. Whatever decision you make just make sure it's in your best interest…and theirs."

* * *

"Danzo-o-o-o-o," Naruto growled as he stared out his office windows.

This was it. This is the final straw. He couldn't take any more under handed tricks and betrayals from this old bat any longer. It was time to put him away for good.

"Sasuke."

"Hn?"

"Get everything we have on that scum bag. I mean everything and anything remotely linked to him. I want all of his crimes and shady dealings out in the open. This village has been tolerant enough. I'm putting an end to his darkness. Get Neji to help you if you need it and play it close to the chest. My eyes only see this information. Anything he's been suspected or accused of get your hands on it. And find out how the hell that dirty rotten bastard is still alive!"

There was one thing about Naruto that Sasuke always admired, secretly of course. If he actually told the dobe this it would make the baka's head explode. He admired that Naruto always kept his cool about him. No matter what situation Naruto never got truly angry. Maybe it was because he was afraid of the Kyuubi gaining power over his anger, or maybe it was because he was an easy going kind of guy. Whatever the reason Naruto never lost his cool.

But he couldn't say that now. It had been sixteen years since he'd seen the Kyuubi's red eyes manifest, and he was looking at them now. Danzo had crossed a line and now it was his, Neji's, Shikamaru's, Tsunade's, Kakashi's, and Sai's job to take him down.

"As you wish Hokage-sama."

* * *

**Yes Chromelin and Dyoderm are real but i'm using them for my own purposes. So what'd you think? Please Review!**

**The next chapter is gonna knock your socks off!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Everyone's reviews are such a delight to read. I loved all the responses to Tai Lee and Takeshi :) I was surprised that nobody commented on Ino and Sai, but no biggie ;) Here's the chapter everyone's been waiting for and one of the chapters i've been psyched to write ever since i first thought up this story. ENJOY! By the way here's my CYA in case i forgot to mention it in chapter one: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! This is just me having fun with the characters at their expense :)**

* * *

The vent was beginning to get a little cramped. It was blatantly obvious that they weren't built to hide shinobi inside. He could only devise that whatever happens in that office below nobody was supposed to know about it. But that was exactly why he was here in the first place, in the middle of the night, getting one horrible leg cramp while trying to decide the best way to enter the office without being caught. There was only so much the sharingan could do.

Taking a deep calming breath Takeshi caught a new scent…two coming from the opposite direction. That meant that he was not alone in the vent and with no room to maneuver he could only hope that he could get out unseen.

"Next right," a soft voice whispered.

He knew that voice it was…supposedly friendly, that is if he considered the Hokage's men friendly. Deciding not to announce himself unless he had to, he blended in easily to the darkness.

"Here, this vent leads to Danzo's office."

"Hn."

Takeshi could see the face of his mother's Uchiha teammate from the light of the vent.

"It seems that it can slip off easily. Hand me a kunai."

They were about to set off the alarm which would of course ruin everything. And they call themselves ninja…

Before Sasuke could even position his kunai Takeshi shot his hand out to stop him startling both men.

"Identify yourself!" Sasuke growled holding the kunai in front of his face.

Takeshi pulled his hand back then lit a small fire in his hand illuminating his face.

"Panther? What are you doing here?" Neji asked.

"I suspect the same thing as you."

"Then why did you stop me?" Sasuke asked.

Takeshi rolled his eyes, "Observe." He leaned forward and dropped the bottom portion of his mask a bit and blew softly over the opening. Small red lines appeared from the moisture of his mouth before disappearing again.

"You almost triggered the alarm."

"Had I had my sharingan on I would not have missed that."

"Don't put too much on your blood line. These lasers, I've seen them before, and they only react to the finest of powders or moisture from your breath."

"So you're saying even Neji's Byakugan wouldn't have seen it?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

"That's exactly what I mean. People with bloodlines put too much stock into them. That's usually their downfall."

Neither Neji or Sasuke had a response to that.

"How do we disarm the laser?" Neji asked.

"No idea. I had to find an alternate route last time I was confronted with these."

"Unfortunately for us there is no alternate route," Sasuke paused for a moment then narrowed his eyes, "Why exactly are you here again?"

Takeshi growled underneath his breath, "The same thing as you obviously."

"Which is what?"

"Are we or are we not working together for the time being?" Takeshi's patience was wearing very thin.

"Currently, yes."

"Then leave my business to me."

Nobody spoke after that comment as they all contemplated how to get into the office. The vent opening didn't provide a wide view but the office wasn't very large and they could see enough.

"There under the desk is a button that's glowing faintly," Neji whispered to them.

"Where exactly?" Sasuke asked.

"To the left of the chair, underneath about six inches in. It's on the side of the drawer."

"Does anyone have a blow gun?" Takeshi asked, "Or a straw, or anything long and cylindrical?"

"No."

"Nei."

Takeshi sighed, "Fine I'll have to do it the hard way. Move over."

They both moved away from the opening while Takeshi positioned himself very uncomfortably in the cramped space. His face was mere inches away from the vent opening making sure that his mouth and trachea were perfectly aligned. He withdrew a senbon from the inside of his sleeve then paused.

"You're absolutely sure about the button's position?" He asked not looking over at the other two men.

"Positive," Neji answered.

Channeling chakra through the senbon so it became razor sharp he slowly slide the weapon into his mouth holding it steady with the tip of his teeth.

_Here goes nothing…_he thought to himself as he drew a big gulp of air. He breathed again bringing his face as close to the lasers as he could then aimed carefully at the desk. Luckily for them Danzo was a neat freak and nothing lay in the way of the button except for the polished wood of the desk.

_Three…two…one…_

The next second the senbon was shot out of his mouth and embedded deep within the wood. A small almost nonexistent click was heard and Takeshi let out another breath checking for the red lasers. There were none…he had hit the button perfectly. He smirked to himself proud of his skills.

"Hn…impressive."

Takeshi removed the vent cap and slide easily into the office glad to be rid of the small confines of the vent shaft. Sasuke and Neji followed him, all stretching out their limbs.

"Neji let's get to work," Sasuke ordered.

"Hai."

Takeshi let them be whatever they were working on was of no consequence to him. He retrieved his senbon then erased the holes the object made, making it appear as if he wasn't there. Then it was time for his own work. Actually it was a mission his mother wanted him to do considering they wanted this old fossil dead, so they had to make sure they knew exactly what was keeping him alive. It had to be a jutsu and most likely forbidden, according to his mother.

They had brainstormed likely places that the jutsu might be kept. Sakura was certain that it was in the office since it was considered to be impenetrable. Well Takeshi just blew that shit out of the water. He could break into anything, anywhere and always leave without a trace. He didn't like to boast too much but he also couldn't deny his better than normal skills as a ninja. As his sensei told him once, "If you can do it, it isn't bragging." But back to the matter at hand and he figured that his answer was in the hidden safe behind the bookshelf. How did he know, Neji found the trigger and the bookcase slid to the side.

Activating his bloodline it only took Neji one minute to enter the correct combination and the safe was opened. Files upon files were stacked into this safe.

"We should collect all of them," Neji said.

"But if we take anything from the safe it would be suspicious," Sasuke answered.

"Then we need to hurry and make copies of everything."

"Hai."

Sasuke pulled out a large scroll and unrolled it. Neji would pull out the files perform a quick duplicating jutsu then hand the originals to Sasuke and place the duplicates back in the safe. Takeshi decided he would glance at the copies of the files before they were placed back in to make sure that they didn't do anything twice. At least that was the excuse he fed them. He wanted to see if his own mission was contained in these files. After they finished they quickly closed the safe and set the bookcase into its original position. Sasuke concealed the scroll on his person and they made for the vent again.

"Coming Panther-san?" Neji asked.

"In a moment."

His file wasn't in the safe. And if it wasn't in the safe then it was somewhere else…somewhere he would know was an absolute hiding spot.

_Think Takeshi, think!_

Where would you put the most important file where you know it will be the most protected?

His desk. Obviously his safe was easy to break into. An old man sits at the desk for most of his day. He could casually check his hiding spot to make sure nothing was tripped while having a conversation with someone in the room with no one the wiser.

Takeshi sat down behind his desk the hard leather creaking slightly. His hands ran lightly over the hard wood then stopped at the area that he repaired earlier. Glancing under the desk he looked at the button remembering that the senbon tip was a good inch inside the button. Even with the chakra added to the senbon it wouldn't have imbedded so deep inside unless it wasn't solid wood. He ran his hands underneath the desk and felt a small switch which popped open a small slit near his chest. Pulling the pop out drawer towards him, he took out a one inch thick file smirking to himself. Replacing the drawer in pristine condition he leapt up and replaced the vent cover.

"Find anything?" Sasuke asked.

"Just studying," Takeshi replied, "I'm finished here."

Another second later the two shinobi couldn't sense his presence. Neji even activated his Byakugan and couldn't find a chakra signature.

"He's gone."

* * *

Takeshi walked into their hospital room and pulled the door shut. Glancing at the clock it showed just after three in the morning. He'd spent at little longer at the Root headquarters than he intended. His mother was currently asleep in the bed and only woke when he lightly shook her shoulder.

"Kaa-san."

"Hmmmm….."

"Wake up I have the file."

Her eyes shot open and she quickly sat up in bed.

"Ooooh," she gripped her side in mild pain.

"Still not finished?"

She shook her head, "Every time I think I'm finally done metabolizing it something cramps and spasms. It was one potent poison he used. He really wanted me dead."

"All the more reason to find out what's keep this slimy bastard alive. I haven't opened it yet."

She quirked a brow, "Not even to check to see if it's the right information?"

He shrugged, "It was in a very concealed drawer that I stumble upon by sheer dumb luck."

"Well let's take a look."

Sakura flipped open the thick file and her eyes bugged out of her head, "Kami-sama…"

* * *

"So what exactly do we have?" Naruto asked seriously, "And don't sugar coat it. I want all of it."

Naruto sat behind his desk eyeing his team. The sky was almost dark and he was ready to put that old dirty man behind bars. Or just kill him. That would probably be better. Either way his team had a full day to process and outline all of the files they've confiscated. He was expecting a good if slightly disturbing report.

"It was a lot to go through but here's the general layout," Sasuke started to explain, "Over here are classified root missions, some we were aware about and some not. Here in particular was an operation Danzo ordered that ruined our alliance with Hidden Moss. We always thought that it wasn't random attack and here's the proof." He handed the file to Naruto. "Neji has all the domestic occurrences, mostly just Root keeping an eye on people in the village. There are a few where Root infiltrated different towns and villages in Fire for one reason or another."

"But the most incriminating piece of evidence is this," Sai placed a tape player on the Hokage's desk. Everyone listened to the fuzzing recording of Danzo issuing orders to four Root members for the kidnapping. It cut out in places but the orders were clear.

"So Danzo wanted to intentionally lure out these two shinobi," Naruto looked up and studied the group, "Why?"

He could see it…there was a giant secret being kept from him and surprisingly it was Tsunade's face that gave it away. But before any of them could answer a giant explosion rocked the building. Everyone was at the windows in an instant and all they could focus on was the giant plume of fire painting the dusky sky.

Sakura was meditating on her bed going over all the information that they had. Danzo was using an unforeseeable jutsu to keep himself alive and Sakura still couldn't make out how he did it. Medically it seemed impossible but since that old bat was still alive he was doing something right. Sai did mention that Orochimaru was a member of Root back in the day, before Sasuke killed him. Maybe it started then, it's not a far stretch to think more than one person was obsessed with immortality.

She really couldn't understand why people would want to live forever. It would be very tiring having the burden of immortality. It didn't matter what happened in your life, you would just keep living. Death was a part of life and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Some people died sooner and some people died later. But every person had their time to die.

_What use is there living forever if your body cannot handle the stress?_

That was probably where Orochimaru came up with his wretched technique. Inhabiting the bodies of younger shinobi lets him inherit their power and youth and also lets him keep all of his own knowledge.

_Even though he was a psycho nobody can deny his brilliance. If only he kept using it for good. _

She was just about to turn in for the night when an explosion rocked the hospital. She was instantly out of bed and ripped the curtains off the window.

"No…" she whispered covering her mouth, "Takeshi no!"

Her leg cramped as she threw on her Leopard uniform. She cursed her body for not being healed yet. She didn't know why but figured it to be age.

_Another reason to not live forever. Takes forever to heal anything._

Glancing out the window she saw a giant white fire dragon head shoot up into the sky before crashing back down again. She finished dressing quickly and broke the window disappearing in a flash.

Sakura was so worried about her son that she didn't even notice that she had forgotten her mask.

* * *

This. Ended. Tonight.

He was done with all the bullshit of this village. Where do the conspiracies stop? If this is what is normal in a shinobi village then he wanted no part of this shameful system. He thought people of the same village were supposed to support each other as brothers in arms. But since he's been in this village he had yet to see that type of behavior.

_It's all utter bullshit. _

So tonight he'd be damned if he let anyone in this corrupt village take his vengeance from him. This was his kill and he was going to take it. He couldn't believe all the files of shady information that the Hyuuga and Uchiha retrieved from Danzo's office. Just one more part of the corrupt system. He just couldn't believe that they weren't a part of Konoha, their base was here, and they committed acts in the village's name so therefore they acted for the village. If they didn't want to act for the village then they should be mercenaries because that's all a mercenary is, someone who works for themselves.

Sneaking into this base was easy. So easy it almost seemed as if they wanted people to sneak in. Their arrogance will be their downfall. Takeshi was going to make sure none of the men who were here survived.

He was lucky that the Uchiha and Hyuuga didn't realize what he was really doing there. His mission was twofold, one: to retrieve the file on how Danzo was keeping himself alive. And he had to admit he didn't see any of that crap coming. Luckily he knew how to kill him once and for all. And two: complete surveillance on the ANBU Root division so he knew every entrance, exit, route, and every nook and cranny of that place. He couldn't miss a single target and he would save the best for last.

Danzo would be his final target so that Takeshi got the pleasure of destroying everything he held dear before he took his life.

_This will be a most glorious moment. And no one can stop me._

He waited twenty minutes after the guard change. He had memorized the 4 different routines their surveillance had. This routine guaranteed a guard change every three hours. And twenty minutes guaranteed that nobody would be around to hear their comrades die. That was the one thing he did admire about Root. They didn't mess around, always strictly business. So starting from the top he took out the three guards killing them silently, and then he worked his way down. Nine guards total guarding the outside of the building. A bit over kill but obviously Danzo thought it would be enough to keep him out.

Oh did he mention that this wasn't the first time he snuck into Root. Oh no…he'd been surveying this place since his mother told him it was Danzo's fault. He kept a low profile during the day, he knew he was being followed, and at night he easily lost his tail, if he had one, and infiltrated Root learning everything he could.

Currently all members had been recalled to base. He noticed this happened only two days after their arrival. Word must have spread of his and Leopard's appearance in the village. He wanted all of his men around him most likely for protection. At least the old geezer was smart. But that didn't matter; he would cut through all of his men and leave a bloody trail behind. He was silent, wraith-like, it's why they adopted the cat personalities. He specifically chose panther because said cat was known for its silent killings and the way its dark coat blended into the night. Nobody knew when or where it would strike and that's exactly how he wanted it.

So next he made his way up to the alarm room. If word came in from outside, which it won't obviously, the alarm room would be notified and they would announce the attack to the rest of the building. So the two groups were typically in constant communication and they were the next logical place to attack. He had to be quick and thorough. Luckily one left and Takeshi easily took him out and a second later slid into the room and killed the other two. Alarm threat neutralized.

Now to go floor by floor ending with the barracks. In his experience people tended to walk downstairs for things rather than upstairs. The barracks being the lowest level is an example of that. People walked up for their shift change but down to rest. So anyone walking down would be less on guard than those walking up.

Top floor clear and it was mostly empty. Surprisingly enough there were two Root members caught in a rather compromising position that included a desk. Needless to say they died shocked but happy. He hoped they both got off at least once before he killed them but it didn't matter. The next floor was completely empty so then it was onto the second. This floor would be fun. Most of the lab equipment was here and there was always someone roaming the halls or trying to concoct some type of poisonous substance. It didn't disappoint there were four ANBU members there and he got into a bit of a scuffle but he was able to keep them from raising the alarm. There was a panic button underneath the lab tables but he made sure the disable those couple days ago. Very careless of them not to check those more often.

Now onto the ground floor. Easily the most difficult to maneuver considering it was designed to confuse you. Only those who knew this building would be able to navigate it. Takeshi would admit the design was brilliant but considering he had the sharingan figuring out the maze was relatively easy. If he had to design a base, he would make it look similar to this. Obviously with its flaws that he discovered it wasn't perfect. He would perfect the design to make it completely impregnable.

There were a few people in the halls. Luckily for him this was the most dead the night would get. Many of the Root members were asleep in their bunks, none the wiser to his master plan. And he had to keep it that way in order to not raise the alarm until he hit the barracks. There was nothing he could do about that. Once the fight in there broke out all hell was going to break lose. All in all he took out 25 Root members before he made it to the barracks. Now was the time to bring out the big guns.

He sheathed his twin ninjataos then summoned his golden katana. He would need to be at his best because Root was a ruthless bunch and he needed to kill them quickly. Taking a deep breath he finished is decent and stood at the entrance of the hallway. There were doors lining the long concrete expanse and he knew each room held two bunks and each room was occupied, although with the 25 already killed that was 25 he didn't need to worry about.

Time to signal the trap. Putting his hands together he drew on his chakra which he knew would alert the light sleepers and chakra sensors then yelled, "KAI!"

Paper bomb after paper bomb exploded. They had been strategically placed all around the building and hidden within the walls to lay dormant until he called upon them. The above four floors began collapsing onto the broken foundation causing all occupants to jump into action. With his eyes glowing red Takeshi easily maneuvered through the falling debris killing indiscriminately making sure none rose from their earthy grave. It seemed almost too easy but he knew it was not. Some shinobi disappeared performing a teleportation jutsu to get them out of the building. Most likely they would be waiting outside and trying to analyze the situation. Some would immediately inform their leader which is exactly what Takeshi wanted. He wanted to see the old man's eyes when he saw the destruction of his base. He wanted to rip all the hard work away so that when he killed him he would be as close to a broken man as he could possibly get.

Time to finish collapsing the building.

"Katon: Flame of the Dragon God!"

White hot fire erupted out of his mouth as the flames spread rapidly through the crumpled heap. Pushing more chakra into the jutsu the shape of a dragon sprang forth spiraling up towards the heavens roaring into the sky before descending again into the inferno. He loved this jutsu not only was it intimidating but the white fire was so hot it melted even the hardest of metals.

His work on the inside of the building was done so he immediately teleported landing in the front clearing of the burning former Root building. He could sense the rapid approach of many shinobi, most probably coming to ascertain what the hell was happening over at Root. His eyes instantly landed on a small group of fifteen standing just off to the side. Danzo was among them.

Takeshi grinned wickedly under his mask and immediately leapt forward cutting down the remaining Root members. The faint shock that appeared on their faces was almost comical, as if they couldn't comprehend what was happening to them before he took their heads. Kami he loved the rush of the kill and he had his master to thank for his incredible speed. Finally it was just Danzo standing and staring at Takeshi, his narrow eye showing nothing but anger and malice.

"I presume you are Panther of the Twin Cats?"

"I am," he answered lowering his bloodied sword slightly, the red liquid dotting the ground, gleaming in the fire light.

"Why have you done this?" Danzo asked leaning on his cane. Takeshi saw through the deception he was preparing his move to try and catch him unawares.

He assumed a ready position, "You attacked us first. Nobody messes with my partner this is my righteous vengeance and justice."

"Well if she hadn't left in the first place then we wouldn't be in this position."

"If you had given up and stayed your greed, you wouldn't be in this position either."

"Then let us finish this."

Takeshi didn't wait for him to unveil his weapon. Based on what the file said he would be a dangerous opponent if he was able to unleash the full power of the weapon. In order to stay in the advantage he had to disable said weapon before it became operational. That was unclear based on the file so Takeshi took it to mean the sooner it he killed the old bastard, the better. So with speed brought on by hours of training Takeshi swung his blade effortlessly through the air only to be connected with the hidden arm wrapped in a metal contraption. That was irksome so he guessed he would just have to aim higher in order to fix the problem. This man was an abomination and any other who took after this practice deserved to die. Who in their right mind wanted to change their body so drastically? Disgusting.

He had to give the old man some kind of credit; he was surprisingly spry for his age. He guessed the cane and the wrappings were just to give off the illusion of frailty. But none of that mattered now, he needed to disarm and disable him. NOW.

In another quick movement Takeshi fainted to the right with a poor jab only to immediately jump behind Danzo and sliced his right arm off at the shoulder joint. His aim couldn't have been more perfect, but considering his in depth study of the human body, courtesy of his mother, to expect any less from him would be shameful. Danzo's arm flew into the air then landed in a large heap in the center of the field. With the weight of his arm gone Danzo gave up and fell to his knees, blood dripping from his open wound. Takeshi took a moment to cauterize the wound then stood in front of him victoriously as he grasped the old man by his hair.

"You should have died a long time ago," Takeshi stated with a triumphant smirk.

Danzo didn't respond but instead concentrated solely into Panther's eyes still covered by the mask. Takeshi instantly sensed exactly what was happening and put an instant end to the genjutsu. Danzo let out an ungodly shriek when the senbon was thrust into his covered right eye.

"You dare try to use that weak jutsu against me," he pulled tightly on his hair, "No more innocents will be corrupted by you. Danzo, I hereby claim your life in return for the one you stole from me. Taste the steel of my blade drenched in the blood of your subordinates."

His sword tip slipped easily into the old man's mouth gagging him on the blood. Takeshi smirked again then stood tall and proud ready to deliver the final blow.

"PANTHER STAY YOUR BLADE!"

With the fire still roaring behind him Takeshi turned his gaze away from his victory towards a large host of Konoha shinobi, the Hokage standing at the forefront of them. All shinobi poised and ready to attack or defend.

"What do you think you are doing Panther?" Naruto asked in a firm but calm voice.

"I am taking my revenge which you said I could have."

Naruto glanced at the wreckage behind the duo, "Why did you destroy Root?"

"Because they are guilty for the kidnapping of the Fire Daimyo's daughters. And if they are guilty of that then they are also guilty of the attack on my partner. You promised me my kill and I am taking it."

Naruto didn't have an answer to that, for one he did promise it and two he knew Danzo was guilty. But before Takeshi could force his blade to the back of Danzo's throat a small petite hand held his wrist in an unrelenting grip. Once the small dust cloud disappeared, Sakura's bright pink hair shone easily against her son's dark clothing, her back towards the Konoha shinobi.

"Stop," she said in a clam tone, "This is not your kill."

"S-S-S-Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. Many other shocked gasps were heard around the gathered group.

"This is my kill. Don't you dare take it away from me!" Takeshi demanded staring into his mother's hard eyes. She was facing him, one hand on his wrist stopping his blade and the other on his shoulder.

"This is not your fight!"

"It is as much my fight as it is yours!" he yelled back at her, "He hurt you and by default he hurt me! He's the reason you left! He's the reason we had to move around all the damn time! And he's the reason I don't have a GODDAMNED HOME! We moved around every single day withoutANYWHERE to call home! It was exhausting and irritating but I learned to deal with it because it was necessary! He deserves to die!"

Sakura was stunned by his admission. All these years she thought he loved moving around. That's what he's always said, he never wanted a place to settle down. But it was all a lie! He had convinced himself that he was fine with moving around because he didn't want to face the fact that he had no place to call home.

She had failed her son. His happiness was her only priority and now it hit her like a tons of bricks that she had failed him for years.

"I-I-I'm sorry! Oh God Take-kun I'm so sorry!" she cried then pulled her son into a tight hug.

He held his mother firmly to his chest letting her cry out. His blade remained firmly placed inside Danzo's mouth. "I don't blame you. You had no choice."

"I forced you to move! I should've just stayed put! I should've found you a home!"

"NO!" he told her firmly, "It's because of you I have respect across all of the nations. It was you who pushed me to my limits and made me the shinobi that I am. I am nothing but grateful to you."

She hiccupped, "I only wanted to make you happy. Nothing else ever mattered to me."

"I know. I don't hate my life. I just hate why it had to be this way," his voice broke slightly. He had never been this honest before, not even with himself. He never allowed himself to think about a home. He had to protect his mother, she was the priority. She had given so much to ensure his happiness and his safety and he would be forever grateful to her for it. So he continued to hold her as she cried out her sorrows not caring about the audience behind her.

o0o

"S-S-S-Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke was just as shocked as Naruto. There, she was standing there; she had been hiding in plain sight.

Itachi had arrived on scene with the rest of the group, a large platoon of the Police Force came with him. Among them was his cousin and X.O. Shisui. And once Sakura came into view his heart stopped and he stumbled slightly. Shisui gripped his elbow to keep him upright but he too couldn't contain the shock from his face.

"She…she's here…" Itachi whispered disbelieving.

"Hai…she's here," confirmed Shisui.

Tsunade and Kakashi exchanged looks with each other while Sai kept his face ridiculously impassive. Naruto still hadn't closed his gaping mouth when he looked up at his sensei. Then his eyes narrowed.

"You _knew_," he accused.

Kakashi and Tsunade both looked over at him and nodded.

"How…I mean…why didn't you tell me?"

Sai answered for them, "She didn't want you to know."

That stung. Naruto finally closed his mouth as he witnessed the exchange between Sakura and Panther. Their conversation…it couldn't be…

"_He's the reason I don't have a GODDAMN HOME!"_

"No…" he whispered to himself. Panther…he…Kami-sama…he's her son.

He exchanged a pained glance with Sasuke before they both turned to look at Itachi. Naruto saw more emotion in his eyes than he had seen in the last 16 years. Devastation rolled off of him in waves as he continued to stare at Sakura and her son. This was obviously affecting him on a cellular level, based on the way he was leaning on Shisui.

Then everyone held their breaths as Sakura burst into tears. You could hear it and more importantly you could feel the gut wrenching pain with the way she cried. It was as if someone just ripped her heart straight out of her chest and stomped all over it. The depth of her pain…you could just tell she had been suffering for years.

Itachi couldn't bear to hear it. Those cries…her tears…they shouldn't even be there. This…this stupid situation shouldn't even be happening. This is all his fault. Kami he's so _stupid_. He's the one that has caused her so much pain throughout all these years. And Panther…with the way the conversation was going…Panther was her son.

_My son._

His mind immediately went back through all the times he had interacted with Panther. The first being the concentrated killing intent when the Cats first got their mission. Then to the less than stellar conversation he had about the prisoner and the blatant cold shoulders he received from then on. The nagging feeling that had been bothering him left, it was all so obvious now. Sakura and his son…and his son hated him. Blamed him for what happened to them.

_As he should…it is my fault. _

If he could…if he could just see his face…

o0o

Takeshi held his mother close letting her know that she was not alone in her sorrows. All of her pain was his as well. For years he tried to deny it but deep down he knew that he would always be missing a piece of his heart; the piece that was left open where a home should reside. He didn't mean for any of this to come out this way. He never wanted to yell at her but in the heat of the moment he could barely contain himself. He was his mother's son after all.

A slight twitch in his right hand alerted him to his prisoner's movement.

"Don't make another move," he threatened, "I haven't forgotten about you, nor am I finished with you just yet."

Danzo glared as hatefully as he could but he knew when he was defeated. Without his arm and right eye he was a dead man. But all dead men were permitted a final request were they not. Very slowly Danzo tilted his head back and Takeshi let the sword glide out of his mouth.

"Dead men are permitted a last request," he intoned in his typical monotone.

Takeshi quirked a brow, not that anyone could see it. "I don't grant last requests. If you have one then you haven't live your life to the fullest. It is of no concern of mine if you hate your life."

"I want to see the face of my executioner."

Sakura stilled at those words.

"Very well then."

Takeshi undid the knot holding his mask to his face and pulled the whole thing over his head. Bright red, three tomoe sharingan eyes glared back at Danzo. But Takeshi only spent a few minutes glaring at the man who ruined his and Sakura's life, his next target was the man who let this all come to pass.

o0o

Itachi fell to his knees once his son's face was revealed. His son…his face…he looked just like him. He could see some differences from Sakura's influence but his son…God his son was his spitting image.

_I'm a failure. Why did I ever let it get this far? Why couldn't I just make my own choices on what makes me happy instead of being an obedient son and shinobi?_

He screwed up the one thing in his life that was pure and beautiful and it was coming back at him with a fury that he did not anticipate. Those eyes were irrefutable proof that he had been a fool 16 years ago. Would Sakura ever forgive him? Did she still even have feelings of love for him? If he could just explain maybe she would see and understand his idiotic decision.

"What do you think of me now Otou-_san_?" He sneered, "Do I make you proud?!"

Itachi didn't answer; he could only bow his head in shame while his heart beat painfully against his chest. He ran his hand over his shirt to try and sooth the ache but he knew it was futile.

Shisui took a quick canvas around the gather shinobi. Shock again was most prevalent, especially among the Uchiha's. Of course the majority of the clan operated on the thought that Sakura had been unfaithful. But seeing those eyes glaring hatefully at the man who had given them to him…everyone was wrong. He smiled sadly to himself, even he thought Itachi's anger was justified. He thought Sakura had strayed but he was also wrong.

Naruto's mouth fell open again as he watched Panther's eyes glared first at Danzo, then Itachi, and finally the rest of the group. There was no denying his lineage and his heart ached for her and what she went through. Forgiveness would be tough but if she could find it in herself he knew she could find happiness again. Though maybe it wasn't Sakura that they needed forgiveness from. Her son would be the one they had to convince and based on their interactions with him he'll be a very tough nut to crack. If anything this made what Danzo has done even more inexcusable.

"You would've been a one-of-a-kind shinobi had I been able to get my hands on you," Danzo smirked at the young man.

"You do not have permission to speak!" Takeshi ordered as he raised his blade towards the old man.

But Sakura stopped him again, "What did you say?"

Danzo turned his unwarranted smirk on her, "You should have let me have him. He would have been great under my tutelage."

"No. You're wrong Danzo," she turned to face him fully; her tears dried quickly replaced by a dark hatred, "He would've been a stunted, emotionless drone had you succeeded in your plan."

"Hardly."

"Don't think you can get away with what you did. Your use of the drug chromelin was ingenious. I didn't suspect a thing. You had me right where you wanted me but you underestimated one thing."

"And what is that?"

"A mother's love," she answered taking small, slow steps towards him. Her voice was a mixture calm and sinister intent, "He's _my_ child. And _nobody_ will _ever_ lay a finger on my son. He will remain unblemished and untainted from the evil and darkness that is this shinobi world. His life was forever changed the moment you took an interest in him and poisoned me while he was in utero. And because of that I've had to change to become his protector from darkness. You underestimated me and what I would do and give up for my son. You are a fool. So no matter how much my son thinks you are his kill, in reality you are _mine to kill_. You committed your acts against me to get to him. _Nobody_ threatens my son and _lives_."

She took one more step and placed both hands on either side of his head. Her eyes were a deadly combination between excitement and anger.

"So now I get to take your life in exchange for the one you took from him."

"Not yours?"

"My life is nothing, means nothing. His life is the only one I care about."

With that final statement she started to squeeze. Danzo gasped at the sharp pressure she was exerting. He realized she was literally going to squeeze his head until his skull collapsed under the pressure. His feeble body could do nothing but take it.

"Sakura-chan! Wait stop! Don't do this Sakura-chan! STOP!" Naruto called out taking a few steps forward.

"Do not move!" Takeshi yelled, "The next person who takes a step forward will be killed."

Naruto halted with pained eyes, "Sakura-chan! Please, please stop!"

She kept squeezing taking great delight that his one eye was beginning to bulge out of his face. She smiled as the eye finally popped out eliciting another pained groan from Danzo and the senbon increasing the blood stain on his wrapped eye then it too fell out from the pressure exerted on his head. He was a glorious sight.

"STOP SAKURA-CHAN!"

A few of the shinobi began to step forward and Takeshi took immediate action. Using the fire from the burning building behind them he swung his sword around in a quick circular motion. A large orange dragon head emerged above them and quickly surrounded Takeshi, Sakura, and Danzo.

"If you make me angry this dragon will attack," Takeshi threatened while he pumped more chakra into the fire making the dragon roar, its body shifting from orange to white.

Everyone paused at the display of power.

"The chakra control it must take to hold that kind jutsu and to have it completely at his command," Kakashi commented.

Tsunade nodded, "You expect anything less considering his parents?"

_Kami-sama…kill me now…_Itachi thought as he watched his son control his fire effortlessly. And his eyes widened even more when he saw a green hue slowly take over his and Sakura's body. A quick glance to his son's eyes confirmed it.

_No…it can't be! _

Then someone tried throwing a kunai it bounced right off of the green shield. It was confirmed.

o0o

With a final crunch Sakura gave the last squeeze and felt all of the blood and brain fluids seep through her fingers. She stared at the warm liquid as it dripped onto the grass. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief. He was dead. He couldn't hurt her son anymore. A second later she spied a kunai headed straight for her head but she didn't move. She had noticed the green hue surrounding her and she knew it did not come from her and that nothing could penetrate this barrier. As the kunai bounced away she turned to face the crowd, performed a quick water jutsu to clean her hands, and then turned and placed a steady hand on her son's shoulders.

"Enough Takeshi," she ordered in a calm and steady voice, "We are finished."

With her word he stood tall and released the dragon and dropped the green protective shield. At her prodding he looked down and met her eyes. She smiled sympathetically at him and didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"When?" she asked as she stared into two red and black swirls of her son's Magenkyo sharingan; which, oddly enough, reminded her of the Twilight Zone.

"The day I thought you died."

She nodded, "Deep emotional stress triggers it. Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged, "We had enough on our plates. I didn't want to add to the chaos and stress."

She nodded again accepting his simple explanation. Tapping his temple gently, "Turn it off now. It's not good to leave it one for long periods of time. It's hard on the nerves."

Takeshi closed his eyes and once he opened them again they were the typical, beautiful forest green color.

"Now we'll have something new to work on. For now try not to use it, you could use too much chakra and irreparably hurt yourself."

"Hai Kaa-san."

She smiled as her hand fell from his face before clenching her side in pain, "Dammit! Ugh!"

Takeshi instantly steadied her.

"Sakura-chan what's wrong?!" Naruto called out.

"That warning still stands Hokage-sama," Takeshi glared at him, "Not another step towards her."

As if she was finally aware of her audience she glanced around to see who was actually here. Naruto, obviously his voice was hard to miss. Sasuke, Tsunade, Kakashi, Sai, Shikamaru and Temari…that surprised her but then again Shikamaru and Temari had been dancing around their feelings for years. There were many faces she didn't know, mostly the up and coming shinobi that have proven themselves throughout the years no doubt. Then she stopped at the Uchiha group, Itachi still kneeling on the ground looking as if he'd seen a ghost. Well she guessed after 16 years it would be pretty shocking to see her again, not to mention her sharingan wielding son.

_Yeah…I wasn't lying…and you never believed me. Then you went and got married._

Looking at him sent a whole new wave of pain through her body making her legs give out from under her. Luckily Takeshi held a firm grip so she didn't fall.

"I can't…get me out of here Takeshi."

He nodded, sent one final glare to Konoha, and then they both disappeared in a swirl of fire.

o0o

They're gone. Just as fast as they came into his life they left again. He couldn't even move. He was numb. His head was spinning so fast with all the events that had happened that he feared he would pass out if he stood up.

_Sakura…my son…T—Takeshi…_

The guilt was going to kill him. He was sure of that. All the answers to his questions had been answered.

Yes they were alive.

Yes they were active shinobi.

Yes…his son was a talented ninja.

Yes he learned from someone else about how to wield his sharingan. Sakura had taught him well.

Yes he had missed everything in their lives and he only had himself to blame.

Guilt…all of that guilt.

_I am a coward._

o0o

"You knew," Naruto turned his hard gaze on Kakashi and Tsunade, "Why didn't you tell me? And don't feed me that bullshit that Sai said! I want to know!"

"She was protecting herself," Kakashi answered.

"Protecting herself? From who?"

"From us," Tsunade answered, "Ever since she left she's felt threatened by this village; particularly from the Uchiha clan. After she was released from the hospital she was exposed to malicious remarks and deadly intent. It's what made her disappear."

"But we would have protected her!" he tried to reason, tears forming in his eyes, "Everything would have been fine!"

"Naruto think about your own life, especially the start, Sakura and her son would have been subjected to the same treatment. Can you honestly say you'd want that for her…for him?" Kakashi asked.

"No but…it's just..."

"Naruto," Sasuke turned his best friend towards him, "There's nothing we can do to change the past. But you _can_ do something about the present and their future."

Naruto stared long and hard into his best friend's eyes; the anger, sadness, and now firm determination. His pain lessened knowing Sasuke was firmly behind setting all of this right. He knew he shared his views on making his brother happy. Maybe convincing Sakura to at least stay in the village would lighten the melancholy mood that Itachi had been stuck in. And to make her stay he would have to liberate her and her son, then put the final nail in Danzo's coffin. And maybe it would ease her own pain just a little bit.

"Let's get to work Sasuke."

* * *

**Review! Review! Review! I totally want to read your thoughts: good, bad, epic-ly amazing, or even complete disappointment. I want to know. **

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1) If you are a guest reviewer and have questions, i won't answer them in my AN. Its misleading to the lengths of the chapters and takes up too much time and space. Besides if you really want to know something or talk to me sign up. It's all free and super easy. Even if you want to berate me at least have the courtesy to let me respond. I'm a reasonable person who loves criticism. I've made friends on FFN because they've critiqued my work. **

**2) I'm going on VACATION! So don't expect the next chapter anytime soon. I'm heading to Disneyland and the beach and i'm gonna be a complete BUM! So sayonara until i'm back from vaca. **


	7. Chapter 7

**And here is number 7. a good filler so enjoy :)**

* * *

She was at a loss. For the first time in years Sakura could honestly say she didn't know what to do.

Leave…or stay.

It didn't help that her mind was running wild with everything that had happened. Danzo was dead; her vengeance that she craved for the last sixteen years was over. Finished. She was…free? But she didn't feel free, if anything she felt even more in danger than before. Well…maybe not so much in danger but definitely unstable.

She had always had a goal, always had one thing she needed to accomplish. That was to seek revenge against the person or group of people who dyed her son's skin. Now it was done. There was no more vengeance and no more wandering. She knew who had wronged her and her son and he was now dead.

So why was her life suddenly in limbo?

"Sakura-chan, please. I'm begging you to please, _please stay_."

Her back was turned as she faced the window of her hospital room. They had come back to gather their packs when Naruto and Sasuke tracked the two of them down. And now Naruto was begging her to stay. Could she? Could she really stay in this village? Could she really, truly stay in this village that had wronged her? Could she really, truly stay in this village that wronged her to the point that she wouldn't step foot in Fire Country for fear of being killed? But that wasn't even the half of it, the real question was this:

Could she stay in the village and finally give Takeshi the home he always wanted?

That was her dilemma. She tried to think about everything that could happen if they stayed in Konoha. But she couldn't…her mind was fuzzy. Her adrenaline from hours before was gone and her body needed to rest, after all she was still healing. Not to mention the sharingan belonged to Konoha. They couldn't settle down in another village and have Takeshi form bonds with others, maybe even have children who awakened the doujutsu, and not feel the ramifications later in life.

Their secret was out. The Cats were out of the proverbial bag and she knew, she _knew_, that Naruto wasn't letting her go without a fight. She could hear it in his voice and even though Sasuke had scarcely said two words since he walked in she knew he felt the same.

The atmosphere around them was heavy, her answer would determine their future.

"Please Sakura-chan," Naruto's big blue eyes were glassy with tears, "Don't leave again. I've missed you. Sasuke's missed you. Our team is just not the same without you. Nothing's been the same since you've been gone. Itachi's been a goddamn mess and a wreck. We _need_ you Sakura-chan. And I can make this right. Everything that's happened, it'll be explained and put to rest and everyone will see that you were never in the wrong. I'll make them see and anyone who says differently will have to answer to me. You and your son will be under my protection and nobody goes against me."

Could she?

Could she really do it?

Turning to the side Sakura looked up into her son's dark green eyes. She was searching for her answer in his eyes. Her life didn't matter, whatever she decided she knew that he would follow her. His life had always been that way. His mother would lead and he would follow. But did he want to stay.

His confession weighed on her mind. She knew he was genuinely mad and angered at not having a place to call home. Sure he was happy with her and he felt secure around her but was that enough? Her thoughts went instantly to the fight where she almost died. Takeshi had awakened his Magenkyo sharingan because he feared she was dead. Maybe…was he too dependent on her? Was her wandering a catalyst to his eye development? Was he _too_ focused on her?

He needed other bonds. He needed other people to trust and confide in. Sakura knew that if she were to die and they were wandering again that Takeshi would be lost. He would be lost and vulnerable and his emotions would run out of control. They always did when someone threatened her. She saw it during their travels and she saw it tonight.

She needed to stay.

"Naruto," she whispered still looking into Takeshi's eyes, "Can you keep your promise?"

"I will Sakura-chan I swear it!"

She turned and looked at the two of them, "Then we will stay."

Naruto and Sasuke both let out the breaths they'd been holding. But Sasuke was a little worried when Sakura didn't look the least bit happy about the decision. What should have been bright, happy emerald eyes were sad…resigned. Maybe even dead.

_Kami-sama what has happened to her?_

"Just don't expect me to do this sober."

Takeshi let out a small frustrated sigh as he ran a hand over his face. "Are you sure?" he asked her, "This is what you want?"

Sakura shook her head, "This is not what I want, but it is what's best for you."

This time he shook his head, "No Kaa-san."

"Take-kun," she pulled him down and kissed his forehead lightly, "I love you my sweet baby boy."

He pulled her tightly against him his head now on her shoulder. He felt like a child again, clinging to her, hoping that she was making the right choice for the both of them. He trusted her then and he knew he had to trust her now. But still it was hard! This village…these people…

"Think Takeshi," she whispered as she stroked his hair, "Think about the why." She tapped his temple lightly with her finger.

Like a light bulb, he took a deep breath then let it out slowly. He finally got the why. Their identities were out, everyone knew he had the sharingan, and now they had to stay. She had warned him of this once. He remembered that day clearly.

xXxXx

_Sakura spun quickly dodging the kunai aimed for her heart. She had to be fast. Had to be quick. Takeshi needed her. This was his first real fight that he participated in and as much as she hated it, she was worried about him. She knew it was typical as all mother's worried about their kids when going off on missions. But this wasn't a mission, this was a random attack by some rouge nins that thought they were an easy score. And she was determined to prove them wrong. _

"_KAA-SAN!"_

_Abruptly leaving the opponent she was fighting Sakura made a mad scramble to the man that held a kunai to her son's throat._

"_Not another step kunoichi," the shinobi threatened, "Or I'll slice this little boy's throat."_

_They shouldn't have found him. He should have been protected by the genjutsu he had cast over himself. Sakura made sure it was the first thing he learned so when situations like this happened he could easily hide while Sakura disposed of the attackers. But it failed this time for one reason or another. _

"_Gorou look! Look at the boy's eyes."_

_Sakura stilled keeping her awareness fixed on the man behind her. Two were dead and two more remained._

"_Well would you look at that," Gorou turned his gaze back on Sakura, "We have an Uchiha brat. We can fetch a good price for him in Lightning, or maybe I should just rid the world of one less Uchiha."_

"_No!" Sakura shot her hand forward. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest in fear but she buried it. She knew she had to suppress those emotions but sometimes you just can't turn off being a mother. "I'll give you anything you ask for as long as you don't harm my son."_

"_I don't want you, you bitch. He's worth more than anything you could give me."_

"_If you don't hand him over to me I will be forced to take him from you."_

_Gorou and his companion snorted, "Try little kunoichi."_

_Sakura made eye contact with her son and in an instant Takeshi bit down on his captor's hand._

"_You little brat!" Gorou yelled._

_Sakura didn't waste that second. She sprinted forward socking Gorou in the face then snatching her son into her arms._

"_I'm sorry Kaa-san," Takeshi tried to stifle his tears, red eyes shining bright, "I ran out of chakra from all the traveling."_

"_Shhh, it's ok baby boy. I will protect you. Now close your eyes," Sakura smoothed his dark hair over his eyes._

_He complied as he held his mother tightly, arms around her neck and legs around her waist._

"_You made a grave mistake," Sakura's eyes hardened as she withdrew her gloves and tightened them on her hands. In a rare moment of anger she also let her genjutsu drop turning her once stringy brown hair into her natural pink. "Nobody touches my son and lives!"_

_Both men gasped at her revealed identity, "Shit…"_

xXxXx

Takeshi kept holding her tightly. It was clear to him, the sharingan belonged in Konoha. "We will need a place to stay, preferably somewhere discrete. If you can manage that?"

Naruto's face brightened, "No problem. Would you prefer the civilian or shinobi district?"

"Where ever you think we will be subjected to less ridicule."

Sasuke nodded, "Shinobi then. Civilians gossip and hold grudges longer than shinobi. Shinobi will at least try to understand the situation and will respect the power that you exude."

Takeshi nodded, "Nothing ostentatious. Just something simple."

Naruto scratched his head, "I'll put you up in political housing for now and search for your accommodations unless you'd like to be involved in the process."

Sakura shrugged.

"I'll help chose," Takeshi answered.

"Grab your bags it's almost midnight and I'm sure we could all use a little sleep," Sasuke turned towards the door knocking Naruto in the shoulder.

* * *

Shisui dropped Itachi off at his home with a nervous look on his face, "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine," Itachi waved dismissively.

His cousin sighed knowing there really was nothing he could do to help, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Itachi didn't acknowledge this as he opened the door and shut it harshly. Small gasps echoed in the halls making his head lurch up in surprise. Before him stood Midori and his eldest Hama.

"Otou-san what happened?" Hama asked with wide nervous eyes, "We heard the rumble and saw smoke is everything ok?"

He sighed trying to school his emotions but for the first time in sixteen years he couldn't. "Everything is fine Hama, go back to bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Hai," he leaned in and kissed her forehead, "I just need to talk to your mother."

"Ok," she nodded and walked up to her room bidding them goodnight.

Midori looked back at her husband and placed a hand on his cheek, "What happened?"

Itachi didn't answer right away and instead did something that surprised her; he leaned into her soft touch. She gasped as Itachi's hand held her smaller one to his cheek. What had happened to cause him to react this way?

"Itachi?"

"Come, I need to speak with you."

Keeping hold of her hand Itachi led her into their bedroom. Once he seated her on the side of the bed he sat down and put his head in his hands.

"They're back."

Midori gasped again. She knew exactly who "they" was.

"How...when?"

"Remember those shinobi I had been following for the past week?" He didn't look up to see her nod, "That's Sakura and my son."

"Oh…my…"

It had finally happened. They were back. Midori knew this day was coming after all she had been married to Itachi for sixteen years. But no matter how hard you try to prepare for something she certainly wasn't ready for it. The possibilities of what could happen were endless.

"Takeshi," he whispered finally lifting his head to look at her. The pain in his eyes made her want to weep. "His name is Takeshi."

At that statement her eyes softened, "You finally know now." He nodded. She didn't really know what to think, what to do? Was there anything to do? Well she guessed there were many things that were going to happen. And the question was where do the new changes start?

"So what does this mean for us?"

"What do you mean?"

She sighed, "Itachi I'm not a fool. You love her and you love him."

He shook his head, "I would not dishonor you like that. Even though I'm not in love with you, I do have very high respect for you. I've put you through a lot since we were married. You probably know more about me and my secrets than anyone else in this village. I trust you."

Happy tears easily fell from her eyes. She never knew he felt such sweet things for her. And he trusts her…she didn't expect that. But considering their fragile relationship and such she shouldn't be too surprised. She was though, very pleasantly surprised.

"Itachi…I…I never knew you held me in such high regard."

"I know, but I do. You knew I couldn't give my heart away but you stayed. We've never made love yet you were faithful. I treated you poorly and yet you never swayed. I respect you and you are a dear friend and mother of my children."

She couldn't help herself as her lips lightly brushed his cheek, "Thank you Itachi."

He could only nod. Taking both her hands in his he turned to face her on their bed. "I'm going to need your help. I have no idea what's going to happen. I just…"

"Shh," she placed her dainty finger on his lips, "I know and I'm here for you for whatever you need."

The tension left his body as Itachi's head slumped onto his wife's shoulder, "Thank you Midori."

They didn't speak anymore as Midori slowly ran her hands through his long raven hair, comforting the turmoil in his soul.

* * *

Takeshi picked a simple apartment. Two bedrooms, a living area and kitchen with a washer and dryer in the hallway. They didn't need a huge space considering they never kept many possessions with them. The Hokage wanted to get them a big house with five bedrooms but he declined. Such unnecessary space was unwanted. And he didn't want to have the burden of actually cleaning such a large house.

He felt secretly proud of his work. The kitchen had a small area where a dinette table fit. The cabinets were white accompanied by stainless steel appliances, the linoleum floor was cheap but functional. A sectional dominated the majority of the living area, across from it was a 45' TV complete with a coffee table and fireplace on the side. The carpet felt new or just cleaned he wasn't too sure.

Simple. Functional. Perfect.

Except for his mother.

She was currently sitting across from the fireplace, leaning against the couch, sake bottle in hand. They stayed in diplomatic housing for only a day before Takeshi decided on the apartment. Sakura had raided the mini bar in the room and after they moved in she went to the nearest liquor store and bought their entire stock of the most potent sake she could find. It was now day five and there was no change in her position.

For once in his life he really couldn't blame his mother for drinking. Her teammates came by every day to see her, so did her shishou and sensei. Nobody else came by probably because Naruto wanted it that way. He said once they finished siphoning through all of Danzo's files they were going to release the statement and clear Sakura's name. He was expecting them any time considering Takeshi requested that they read through the statement before it was made public.

At 11am there was a knock on their door. Sakura didn't even blink as she continued to stare into the gas lit flames. Takeshi opened the door to see the same people who had been visiting for the week standing there.

"This isn't conspicuous at all," he said dryly as he opened the door wider.

"Yeah well I figured after today it's not really going to matter!" Naruto grinned as he walked in. His smile faltered as he noticed the sorry state his teammate was still in. "Sakura-chan we're done with everything and have the statement ready. Would you like to read it?"

"No."

Naruto sighed as everyone sat down. He was hoping his announcement would at least make her happy. Maybe if he tried a different tactic.

"So I told Hinata-chan about you. She's really excited to see you again. And she wanted me to tell you that you and Takeshi are invited over for dinner this weekend. And since she invited you I figured it's be a lot funner if we made it a big event by inviting Sasuke-teme, and that idiot Sai. And they could both bring their families so you could meet everyone!"

Sakura's reply was to take another long drink of her sake. "So, you got married huh Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"Don't give her your pathetic answers teme."

"Shut up dobe."

Sakura snorted, their fighting was very nostalgic, "Never thought that would've happened. Any kids?"

"One, my wife is currently pregnant with our second," he replied. One thing for sure, he never thought Sakura would be interested in his personal life. If he'd known he would've mentioned it earlier just to get her to talk to them. Every day since leaving the hospital she hadn't spoken a word.

"How do you like the apartment Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

She shrugged, "Better than crappy motels." When she lifted the bottle for another swig but it was empty. That irritated her and without another thought she chucked the bottle into the fire, the ceramic breaking into pieces then she stood up and stumbled into the kitchen.

"Is she always like this?" Tsunade asked Takeshi.

"Only on certain days."

"What are those?" Kakashi asked.

"My birthdays."

Tsunade let out a breath, Naruto rubbed his hands through his hair, while Sasuke and Kakashi said nothing. They listened to the cabinet doors open and close as if Sakura couldn't remember where she stored her sake.

"Although last time she was like this we had just left Konoha after completing our mission you assigned us. She was drunk a whole week and burned all her money on alcohol. We were lucky not to be near Suna borders."

"Why's that?" Tsunade asked.

"Moonshiners," he smirked, "We make a quarterly visit."

Tsunade returned the smirk, "Do they make strong stuff?"

"Their record is 130 proof."

At that time Sakura came stumbling back in bracing herself against the couch then returned to her spot in front of the fire.

"How many left?" Takeshi asked her.

"Five. I need to get more."

"No you don't Sakura-chan. Please, don't do this to yourself." Naruto got up from the couch and sat down facing her profile. "I don't like seeing you like this. Can you stop…please?"

She took three long gulps hissing at the welcomed burn. "One thing you need to learn Naruto, is that I'm not that delicate little princess anymore. I'm no cherry blossom. I'm not a fragile flower. I'm a killer. I'm a survivor. I don't take orders and I answer only to myself and my son. I'm a functioning alcoholic and if you can't get on board with that…then I'm going to tell you to leave me the fuck alone."

His blue eyes widened. His mind blank. What was he supposed to say to that?

"May I read the press release?" Takeshi asked. Sasuke handed the scroll over wordlessly and watched as his…nephew…read it. That was weird to think about and he had no idea why the thought made him slightly uncomfortable. Time? Maybe his feelings on the subject? Either way the feelings were there and he needed to figure out why.

"A bit long winded don't you think?" Takeshi asked not glancing up from the scroll.

"Naruto has a flare for the dramatic," Tsunade answered, "Anything less and it would seem like it wasn't coming from him."

"A preliminary message is being drafted and posted today on the message boards. The real article will be posted in the newspaper tomorrow," Kakashi explained.

The room was silent again as Takeshi continued reading. His dark green eyes kept getting narrower as he continued to read. Kakashi almost grinned at the sight. How someone could read with their eyes nothing but tiny slits was beyond him.

With the scroll rolled up he tossed it back to Sasuke who stored it in his pocket.

"It'll do. How one man got away with all the shit that's written on there, I'll never know. It seems Hidden Villages do a better job policing the outside than what's happening inside their own village."

That statement made Sakura giggle before succumbing to a coughing fit.

"Everything that happens is for the good of the village," Naruto answered staring at the teen. "But there are times when one person is in power for far too long and they are able to get away with things that never should have been allowed. Danzo was appointed during a time of war. His job was to make sure that the darkness of the outside world would never come into the village. The Sandaime admitted to not having the stomach to do all the things necessary to keep the village safe. So Danzo assumed his silent role. And since it was appointed by the Hokage nobody really thought to question it as long as the village was safe. In his own way Danzo loved Konoha. Everything he did was for its betterment. But even the best lose sight of what's really important."

"And the file that we uncovered for you? The arm?" Takeshi asked.

"If the Uchiha were aware of the fact that sharingans were being harvested then they didn't let us know," Tsunade responded, "My guess is they didn't or else there would have been a huge fuss about it. Even now I sent the information over to the Clan Head and he looked shocked. They are currently checking burial sites for their deceased members and checking for their eyes."

Takeshi growled and folded his arms, "Fucking sick psycho." Sakura giggled drunkenly again.

Naruto's attention was drawn back to her, "So dinner this weekend you'll come won't you?"

Sakura shrugged drinking the rest of her alcohol, "Maybe?"

This seemed to peeve the Hokage, "Could you at least try? Make the effort? We've all missed you Sakura-chan! We want you there to talk and laugh just like old times."

"Old times are dead and gone Naruto. Didn't you hear what I said?" She threw the empty bottle into the fire then glared at him. "I'm not the same 'oh poor me, Sakura-chan' that you remember. I'm a nasty assed bitch who's addicted to alcohol! Why would you want me around your children? I have limited myself to only a few drinks a day and I only get slobbering fucking drunk when the time calls for it. And if I don't get my alcohol then my temper flares, and if my temper flares then I want to rip off the head of the first person who pisses me off! Not get the fuck out of my face before I smash it in!"

But he wasn't the least bit put off by her attitude. Sure she has changed and sure she has always been a mean drunk but Naruto knew that she would never really hurt him.

His gaze turned serious, "Sakura…fine. If you want to act all hurt and put out because of what happened then I'm not one to judge you. But goddammit you're my friend! You're my teammate! None of that has changed in the sixteen years that you've been gone! I hate seeing you so drunk you can't even walk straight let alone remember where the hell you stashed your sake! You haven't even had a decent conversation with me ever since you said you would stay! Can you at least do us the fucking courtesy of giving us _some_ of you attention?!"

Sakura fisted her hands and stood up to tower over Naruto, but her intimidating stance was lessened when he stood up as well, towering over her by at least a head. His hardened blue eyes not cowering under her piercing emerald gaze. He only folded his arms waiting to hear her retort.

"I told you that I wouldn't do this sober!" She poked his chest to emphasize her point, "You said you didn't fucking care! All you wanted me to do was stay so guess what Naruto, here the fuck I am! Here's your precious Sakura-chan back from the proverbial fucking dead. What do you want me to do?! Strut my non-existent stuff around Konoha for all the narrow minded assholes to see? Play the part of a non-exiled princess and just walk back into everyone's lives? NEWSFLASH! Shit ain't that easy in this world. You weren't there to see all the looks and menacing glares I got from the ENTIRE populace of this village. You weren't there to see the betrayal on my own husband face when he thought I was unfaithful! And you definitely weren't there to find me and bring me back home!"

Before she could even think about reacting Naruto had her in a bone crushing hug.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan! I'm sorry! I wanted you home, I looked for you!"

Sakura tried to break his hold but he was surprisingly solid, "Fuck all of your excuses. I've heard enough of them to last me for the rest of my, what I know is, a short life. If I don't get killed in a fight then I'll die from psoriasis."

"You disappeared, Sakura-chan. We couldn't find you anywhere. There were no clues, no scent, nothing. You were always the smartest of the three of us…well four if you count that moron Sai. Sasuke and I might be strong but we weren't you. Nobody could replace you. The only thing I wanted was to be there for you, to find you, hold you, and tell you everything was going to be fine. I promise you Sakura-chan, my promise of a life time, everything from now on will be fine."

Not once did he relent on his hold over her. Not a single twitch from his muscles to loosen his grip. Sakura soon stopped her flailing once she realized it was futile. And considering the alcohol had seriously damaged her emotional control, tears began forming in her eyes. Naruto never changed.

"Believe me Sakura-chan," he whispered fervently to her, "Have I _ever_ broken a promise to you?"

She sniffled, "No."

"And I never will."

Kami she hated herself when she was weak. But she had been strong for far too long. Sixteen years she had to be the strong one because she had a son who depended on her. But here in her village, in her best friend's arms and for the first time in those long sixteen years…she felt at home.

She felt safe.

Her alcohol weak arms flung around him holding as tightly as she could. Her tears and sniffles turned into muffled sobs as she buried her face into Naruto's chest. And he held her tightly against him letting her get it all out.

His mind instantly wandered to that night a few days ago when she was crying into her son's chest. Her heart ache so unbearably raw that all he wanted to do was hold her, as he did now. Before it wouldn't have been welcomed but it was tonight. She endured too much for someone as beautiful as she. Sakura stated that her fragility was gone and replaced with a hardened bitch. But Naruto knew better, her fragile inner princess was only locked away too scared to come out and deal with the harshness of the world.

When a firm hand settled on his shoulder Naruto opened his eyes and met Sasuke's. Pulling gently on his arms he released Sakura only to bring her into his own embrace. He wasn't as restricting as Naruto but it was still just as comforting. He cradled her head and shoulders while placing several small kisses to her hair. Sakura in turn held him just as tightly as she didn't Naruto.

"You are not alone anymore Sakura."

She whimpered but only held him tighter.

"Take it slow," he kissed her head again, "And come to us when you need it. It won't be easy at first but let them get a good look at your son and everyone will be feeling pretty foolish if they still even remember."

She could only nod in response which made him smirk. When she finally pulled away Sakura tried to stop her tears but it seemed the floodgates would not be closed. Not to mention the almost embarrassing snot display her nose was making. She really couldn't have looked anymore unattractive if she tried.

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize Sakura," Tsunade said softly.

Takeshi handed her a tissue. "About this weekend," she blew her nose, "We'll come."

Naruto's smile brightened, "We're gonna have so much fun and Hinata's the best cook ever!"

She smiled sadly, "So who is coming?"

"Just me, Hinata, and the most adorable kids on the planet! Teme and his wife Nozomi with their kid. Then that idiot Sai and hey, did you know he married Ino?!"

"Hai, he told me in the hospital."

"Heh I was surprised about that but then again he did get her pregnant. But he seems happy and they have a brood of kids. I still don't know if it was Ino's idea or Sai's. But they're happy even though she annoys the piss out of him, and he's always smiling about it. I still don't get him but by now I figure I probably never will."

Sakura's eyes widened at the "brood of kids" comment, "Just how many kids do they have?"

"Five," Sasuke answered with a smirk.

Sakura's head shot around to look at him. He definitely wasn't bullshitting her.

"Five kids…they have _five_ kids?!"

"Yeah," Naruto stretched his arms before pacing his hands behind his head, "And the youngest two are twins. Little demons. Those two are always getting into some type of trouble. I call it karma for Ino being such a nosy busy body for most of her life."

Sakura couldn't control giggle at thinking of two little hellions driving her former best friend out of her mind. "Will you two be joining as well?"

"And miss out on Hinata's fine culinary expertise, hell no. I'm bringing sake for the adults," Tsunade folded her arms smugly.

"I don't remember being invited," Kakashi stated as he rubbed his chin.

"Of course you're invited!" Naruto shouted, "Just don't be late or I'll sic Sora and Suri on you _after _Hinata disables your ability to run away."

Sakura was quite surprised to see her sensei cringe in…fear? Oh yes that was definitely fear, this is very interesting.

* * *

The eyes. There was nothing she could do to hide from the eyes. Green, blue, brown, hazel, onyx, amber, gold, and whatever other eye color there was in the village; all Sakura knew was that at this exact moment they were all on her.

Today was Saturday it was one in the afternoon and she finally had enough courage to leave the sanctuary of her new apartment and walk through the village. She was headed towards the market where she would buy various groceries that she and Takeshi would need for the next few days. Naruto had set them up on the village's welfare system. Since they were not instated shinobi they couldn't receive or complete missions for the village. And neither one wanted to try and find a typical job. So that led to the only other way to receive money, welfare.

The thought was kind of demeaning but with the Hokage's influence they would receive one thousand dollars a month. It covered rent, utilities and groceries. It was pretty generous considering they got their apartment for next to nothing and utilities in Konoha were always dirt cheap. So that let money for food, which lead her to walking to the market to shop. The only comfort she had for this experience was her son by her side.

"This is ridiculous. You'd think we were a freak show," Takeshi commented loud enough to cause some people to bow their heads in embarrassment.

Sakura just smirked, "You have a way with words Takeshi."

Three days the announcement and newspaper article had been out. Three days the entire village knew she was back with her "not so illegitimate" child with her.

"I honestly can't decide whether they are staring at you or at me more?"

"Well we both know that my pink hair never draws a crowd," she commented sarcastically, "But I'd reckon a guess that the young impressionable girls are openly gawking at you, while the older generation are still sneering at me."

He cast a glance around confirming her suspicion, "Well if they do decide to try anything I'll make sure they never try it again."

That comment made some people shuffle uncomfortably producing a wicked smirk to grace his tempting lips. Most of the young girls swooned at the sight.

Sakura noticed and elbowed him, "Careful Take-kun, you're creating the beginnings of a fan club."

"Tch…they need something better to do than stalk a guy that will have absolutely no interest in them. Pathetic."

Sakura only giggled as she grabbed a shopping cart.

* * *

Hours later the duo stood on the front porch of the Hokage's mansion. The same house where all of their predecessors lived who have ruled over the village. And Sakura was nervous. Sure she had entered this house plenty of times as Tsunade's student for training but this wasn't Tsunade's house. This house now belonged to Naruto and his family. And behind these closed doors were a large group of people waiting to welcome them back to Konoha.

"Are we going to knock?" Takeshi asked, hands in his pockets.

Sakura puffed out a long breath and adjusted her grip on the large plate of dango she brought. Even though Naruto had told her that Hinata would cook everything she still felt ridiculous coming to a dinner party empty handed. While her mother was still alive she had stressed to her the importance of never showing up empty handed to any food event, unless of course it was a festival. So to be on the safe side, since she didn't know the menu, Sakura made thirty sticks of dango because nobody could say no to dessert.

"I guess it's now or never."

Takeshi glanced down at her, "Why so nervous?"

Sakura could only shake her head, "I don't know."

Well she kind of knew…she was guessing…and she didn't want to admit that her imagination was running wild. The foremost thought was that everyone was going to cast her out and hate her more than they already did. As illogical as she knew that thought was…it was the truth. And the truth also was that she was likely to get angry, at who or what…she will have to wait and see.

Takeshi took the initiative and ran the ridiculously loud doorbell. Almost immediately the loud pounding of multiple footsteps were heard against the wooden floor. Accompany that with a plethora of childish taunting and screaming the large door was suddenly wrenched open and twelve pairs of eyes were staring at Sakura and Takeshi. The awkward silence that followed was slightly eerie for the entire group crowded around the front door.

"Are you Sakura-san?" One small boy who looked suspiciously like Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded, "I am."

"Who's that?" An older blonde boy asked. He had the signature Hyuuga eyes and Sakura thought he looked more like Hinata than Naruto.

"He's my son Takeshi."

"What's in your hand?"

Sakura didn't make out who asked considering she was still staring at all the children. She had definitely been gone a long time. It was almost sad to think about but she hid it easily with a fake smile.

"I brought dango."

The loud piercing scream that followed came from two nearly identical looking brown haired brats who immediately stole the plate in her hand and bee-lined into the house…still screaming at the top of their lungs.

Thankfully by this time Naruto dropped down from the ceiling behind all the children. "You should see your face! Hey Minato, Haruko, Kazuo, Izumi, get out of the way and let them in! Go find Kakashi-sensei he's hiding somewhere in the backyard. First one that finds him gets to eat dessert first!"

Another collective scream and challenges being shouted back and forth the kids were gone and Sakura was still frozen in spot.

"I'll introduce you to all of them later I figured you'd rather meet with all us adults first before being bombarded with our kids."

Sakura only nodded, "Yeah."

"Hey Takeshi-san you didn't have to bring your swords you know?" Naruto glanced back at him. He had dressed in his typical Cat gear, complete with his crossed swords.

Takeshi shrugged, "Force of habit."

Naruto nodded, "You're safe here in Konoha you know."

"I'll be the judge of that."

After walking through the living area and past the dining room Naruto turned them into the large family room. It had obviously changed from when she had been here. To Sakura it seemed Naruto had a few walls knocked down to enlarge the space. But considering the brood of kids that she'd seen earlier the reason was obvious.

"Hey guys looks who's back!" Naruto announced with his arms wide.

The instant connection was one she was intimately familiar with. Her cautious green eyes locked on worried teal and for a moment time just kind of stopped. But luckily it wasn't for long as Ino sprinted across room and engulfed Sakura in a big hug.

"Oh my God Sakura!" she cried holding her best friend close, "God I've missed you so much!"

Sakura just stood there stunned then hesitantly hugged her back. This felt awkward.

"It's only awkward because you're making it awkward! Stop analyzing everything and hug your best friend back Forehead!"

"I haven't had a best friend for sixteen years Ino."

That surprised the hell out of Ino who barely recognized her best friend's voice. Adding to her shock, she broke the hug holding Sakura at arm's length.

"It'd probably be best if you let her go."

_Her eyes are so sad, _Ino thought to herself. She looked up at the unfamiliar voice locking eyes with who she swore was Itachi's twin in another life.

"Kami-sama," she whispered, "Why didn't you stay Sakura? I would've been there for you, protected you."

"Why do you care now? You didn't care then?"

Now Ino was angry, "Of course I care! I've always cared about you Sakura ever since we were little girls in flower arranging class! How can you say that to me?"

"Oh I don't know maybe because after the rumors spread like wildfire nobody decided to show up and grace me with their presence. Being Konoha's biggest gossip I figured you would have been tearing down the door once you heard. But no, you decided it was better to spread your legs with your latest fling than be there for you best friend."

She was so cold, so cold and unfeeling that it scared her. She didn't recognize the woman standing in front of her. Sai had tried to warn her but Ino didn't listen to him. Sakura was Sakura and she would never change who she was. But she was very wrong.

What hurt even worse was that Sakura was right. Before Sai she hadn't been in any steady relationships. For her she would rather sample all of the goods before choosing. She was having a weekend sex stay-cation with a man she'd met at her favorite club. They had hit it off well with sparks flying and everything and being the impulsive creature she was, she wanted a sex-a-thon. Her partner had been all too willing. No leaving the room, take out delivered, three days of sex. It was fan-fucking-tastic, literally.

And it was the worst mistake she had ever made. Besides leaving her weekend completely satisfied, she had found out her best friend had given birth and was currently MIA. She was mad at Sakura first but that only lasted until her own guilt set in. She was another one of the people that weren't there when Sakura needed her. Her sex-ca-pades ended after that. Until Sai walked into her life and helped her put her head back on straight with his forward and blunt mannerisms.

Ino had tried to dispel the rumors and even gave Itachi the much needed slap to his pretty face when she found out he had abandoned her. It made her even angrier that he had taken it without trying to defend himself. But once she got all of her name calling out of her system she was able to calm down…until he told her he was getting married again. That earned him another slap as well as a kick to his stomach. And she hadn't spoken to him since except in an official capacity.

"I…Sakura I…"

"Save it. I've had enough bullshit apologies to last me a lifetime." She turned and looked at Naruto. "If this entire evening is going to end up this way then we're leaving."

"No! You can't leave! No more apologies out of anyone!" He ordered the room.

Leaving Ino rooted in her spot Sakura and Takeshi stepped around her to sit with everyone.

"So I think the only person you don't know is Nozomi," Naruto directed their attention to a petite raven haired woman with royal blue eyes. She was quite pretty with typical Uchiha features. Her hair woven in a long braid that wrapped around her head in a bun. "Nozomi this is Sakura-chan the official third member of Team Seven and her son Takeshi."

She stood with Sasuke's help and presented her hand, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Sakura smiled in return, "Never thought I'd see the day when Sasuke actually got married and had kids. Congrats."

"Thank you," she rubbed her stomach lovingly.

"How far along?"

"Six months," she winced as her hand immediately went to her back, "We weren't expecting another little guy but we're happy."

When she winced again Sakura's eyes narrowed, that definitely wasn't a baby kick.

"Nozomi sit down," Sasuke ordered helping her back onto the couch, "Where?"

"Small of my back." She leaned forward while Sasuke gently rubbed her sore area.

"How early was your first son?" Sakura asked.

Both Nozomi and Sasuke looked at her with mild surprise.

"How'd you know?" Nozomi asked.

"May I?" Her hand lit up with green chakra.

Nozomi looked over at Sasuke who gave his approval.

Sakura knelt in front of her and placed her hand over her growing stomach. "Strong kid, not very surprising."

Sasuke smirked while Nozomi smiled.

"But you aren't," Sakura moved her hands over to her back, "You back pain isn't normal. Are you retaining water greater than with your first pregnancy?"

"Yes."

"Shortness of breath more severe?"

"Yes."

"Painful intercourse?"

Nozomi blushed but nodded. Sakura growled, "Where else is the pain?"

"Oh I…I get headaches every evening. I usually lie down around eight because of exhaustion. I've had Braxton Hicks contractions since around four months or so."

"Let me guess you had issues conceiving the first time right?"

"Where are you going with this Sakura?" Sasuke asked suddenly very concerned. She didn't tell him about the headaches or the contractions. Every time she was in pain it was always in her back.

"And when you couldn't conceive one of the Uchiha herbalists gave you a tiny red pill to take every day to help with conception," Sakura finished and folded her arms.

"How do you know that?" Nozomi asked her hands protectively cradling her stomach.

"Because I abolished the use of that damn pill when I married Itachi. The results were not worth the cost to the mother. Yes she would conceive and have a child but the long term effects were not worth it. Those stupid, stubborn, old crones probably started prescribing it again once I had my name stripped from me! Fucking bitches!" Sakura was fuming angry and all she wanted to do was hit something. So instead she stood up and began pacing.

"What long term effects Sakura?" Sasuke asked, his voice hard.

"Unwarranted muscle constrictions and cramps particularly in the middle of exercise and in her case the ridiculously early Braxton Hicks. Can't imagine how that would affect anyone's life as a kunoichi," she said still growling in anger, "And of course there's always,_ always_, complications during the delivery which is tricky. Not to mention longevity. That damn pill puts your body in overdrive, it increases estrogen levels which ultimately mean early menopause and a young death. High blood pressure which is common during pregnancies as is the possibility of gestational diabetes as well as pre-eclampsia is double the risk for women who ingest that stupid pill. And once your body goes through it once the likelihood of it happening again increases with each pregnancy; not only increases but also gets worse. Have they been monitoring your protein count?"

Nozomi was near tears with all of this new information, "N-N-No."

"Are you at risk for any of the things I mentioned: gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure?"

"H-High blood pressure."

Sakura nodded, "Luckily I couldn't locate any sign of pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes. But high blood pressure is what medics, or at least competent medics, call the silent killer. Have it for too long and you'll die younger than you want. It's why relaxation and stress-free environments are crucial to pregnant women. But that damn pill just exaggerates all the typical pregnancy symptoms and puts women who take it at high risk. Why do you think Uchiha women were nearly always dying younger than the men?"

Nozomi was now crying but Sakura didn't stop her rant.

"Kami I should just kill all those stupid bitches before they do any more harm than they have already done! Kill them and destroy that damn recipe for that damn pill and I'd be doing everyone a fucking favor!"

"Kaa-san!" Takeshi gripped her shoulder silencing her rant, "What was it that you said about a stress-free environment?"

He motioned to the couch and Sakura whipped her head around to look at Sasuke's wife. He was holding her and whispering reassurances in her ear.

"I apologize…I should've been more discrete," Sakura bowed her head and folded her arms once more.

"No," Sasuke looked up at Sakura. She could see his anger but knew it wasn't directed at her, "This shit stops now. They didn't tell us all of those risks to the pill. They just said it would make her tired."

Sakura's chuckle was a little off, "Fucking liars…I researched this drug heavily when I first got married. I know everything there is to know about it." This time she shifted uncomfortably, "If you would like I can-"

"Please…please fix me," Nozomi looked up and begged, "I didn't want this. I want to be old when I die…not young. I don't want to leave Sasuke!"

Sakura knelt in front of her again and took her hand, "I won't let you die."

o0o

The rest of dinner went well. Hinata greeted both Sakura and Takeshi with warm welcomes as they sat to eat dinner. Afterward Sakura got the pleasure of meeting all of the children.

Naruto and Hinata had two with a third one on the way. Their oldest of Minato who still looked more like Hinata than Naruto but she had seen pictures of the Yondaime, there was definitely an influence. He had Hyuuga eyes as well. Their daughter, Haruko, was three years younger and was the epitome of Naruto right down to the personality. Naruto told her that she loved to use her Byakugan in a slightly deviant manner. Sakura made sure to keep a close eye on that little girl. Not to mention Naruto was secretly hoping the next kid wouldn't have the doujutsu so he could teach him all of his secrets. Considering Hinata was only three months along and didn't know the sex yet, Naruto was already hoping for another boy.

Sasuke and Nozomi had their eldest Kazuo and he looked just like Sasuke. He had the spikey hair and the dark onyx eyes, but his features were softer a definite influence from his mother. Kazuo and Haruko were the same age and just entered the Academy.

Sai and Ino definitely had a brood of kids. She was happy that she was warned. Inoychi was their eldest at thirteen and a Genin. He was a good mixture of both his parents, Sai's dark hair but Ino's complexion and eyes. He was a heart breaker there was no doubt about it. He was calm but erupted when he was angry. Daichi was next another boy and Sai's perfect carbon copy, right down to the artistry. Inoychi was currently studying the Yamanaka clan jutsus. Izumi was very much a younger Ino complete with the sassy personality. It brought back memories. And then there were the demon twins, as Naruto called them, and also her dango thieves. Sora and Suri, brown hair, very white complexions, and dark eyes they were truly a sight. If it weren't for the distinctive male and female features respectively, Sakura would definitely have issues telling them apart.

All the children were quite familiar and comfortable around each other. It made Sakura sad that her son was never a part of this bond. He would have if she hadn't left. He would probably have many bonds with people had she braved her fear. Itachi may have taken her back had she stayed. They might have even had more children. Takeshi nudged her under the table sensing her depression.

She couldn't think of that now. She had a happy face to wear.

* * *

**Please leave a review let me know what you think :) **

**Sorry i wrote the flashback in Sakura's POV when i lead into it with Takeshi's. My bad but when i tried to fix it i didn't know how. So i just left it. **

**Inoychi = in-oy(oi)- chi**

**Until next time!**


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